Screening of synthetic molecules active towards the Bacillus cereus group

Bacillus spp. are gram-positive bacteria able to produce and release spores, more resistant to adverse environmental conditions than the vegetative form. Since these species are spread in all ecological niches, the spore’s decontamination is a critical issue in specific contexts. For instance, Bacillus cereus is responsible for toxin-related food intoxications and is of pivotal concern for the food industries. Bacillus anthracis strains can cause lethal gastrointestinal, cutaneous, and systemic infections and it is a health concern because it has been used as bioweapon in a bio-terroristic attacks. In order to inactivate spores, chemical and physical methods, or a combination of them, are currently applied but, unfortunately, they are not always effective or suitable in all situations. For instance, food perishability and safety are limiting factors for the use of some chemical methods. Hence, the importance to find an effective and safe decontamination method. In this context, our aim is to test and screen the sporicidal activity of synthetic molecules, which could be safe and compatible with the substrate, green for the environment as well as with no toxic effects toward humans. We are screening the potential antimicrobial activity of a set of compounds towards Bacillus spores and other bacterial species, considering that the emergence of antimicrobial resistance is becoming critical.