Genetic diversity of enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus strains in coriander in southwestern Mexico

Coriander, like other leafy green vegetables, is available all year round and is commonly consumed raw in Mexico as in other countries in the preparation of street or homemade food. ( ) is a microorganism that can reach coriander because it is usually found in the soil and in some regions the vegetables are irrigated with polluted water. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determinate the presence of in coriander used for human consumption in southwestern Mexico and determine the toxigenic profile, biofilm production, genes associated with the production of biofilms, sporulation rates, enzymatic profile, psychotropic properties, and genetic diversity of . Fresh coriander samples were collected from several vegetable retailers in different markets, microbiological analysis was performed. Molecular identification, genes related to the production of biofilm, and toxin gene profiling of isolates were determined by PCR. The biofilm formation was measured by performing a crystal violet assay. The genetic diversity of strains was determined by PCR of repetitive elements using oligonucleotide (GTG) 5. We found a frequency of in vegetables was 20% (13/65). In this study, no strains with genes for the HBL toxin were found. In the case of genes related to biofilms, the frequency was low for [5.8%, (1/17)] and [11.7%, (2/17)]. strains produce a low amount of biofilm with sporulation rates around 80%. As for genetic diversity, we observed that strains isolated from the same market, but different vegetable retailers are grouped into clusters. In the coriander marketed in southwestern Mexico, were found strains with genes associated with the production of diarrheal toxins. Together, these results show actual information about the state of art of strains circulating in the southwestern of Mexico.