Table 2.

Properties of the Bacillus cereus group.

Phylogenetic Group	Species	Temperature growth range (°C)	Growth limits:			Spore heat resistance		Pathogenicity potential (in cytotoxicity assays)
			NaCl (%)	aw	pH	Median time to first ten-fold reduction at 90 °C (min)	D90°C-value (min)
I	B. mycoides B. pseudomycoides	10 to 43	5	0.965	4.6	NR	NR	Low/none
II	B. cereus B. thuringiensis B. weidmannii	6 to 43	8	0.945	≤4.3	30	5 to 19	Moderate
III	B. cereus B. anthracis B. thuringiensis	13 to 48	≥10	≤0.929	≤4.3	39	10 to 102	High
IV	B. cereus B. thuringiensis	10 to 48	≥10	≤0.929	4.6	28	7 to 52	High
V	B. cereus B. thuringiensis B. toyonensis	8 to 43	8	0.945	4.6	20	10 to 45	Moderate
VI	B. cereus B. mycoides B. thuringiensis B. weihenstephanensis	5 to 40	6	0.960	4.6	2	1 to 13	Low/none
VII	B. cytotoxicus	18 to 56	>10	≤0.929	≤4.3	90	25 to 101	Very high

Adapted from Afchain et al. (2008), Carlin et al. (2013), Guinebretière et al. (2008), Guinebretière et al. (2010), Luu-Thi et al. (2014), Techer et al. (2014).

NR = not reported.