Establishment and application of standard pulsed-field gel electrophoresis assay to detect Bacillus cereus

Objective To establish a standard pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) assay for the detection of Bacillus cereus. Methods Fifty-one B. cereus strains isolated from different source were selected to evaluate the discriminatory power of the established PFGE assay. Results The established PFGE assay for the detection of B. cereus successfully identified the genotypes of 51 strains of B.cereus. Conclusion The PFGE assay was established for the genetic classification of B. cereus which can provide technical support for the control and prevention of food poisoning and nosocomial infection caused by B. cereus.