Is inhalation of Bacillus cereus spores as dangerous as inhalation of Bacillus anthracis spores?
B cereus would do nothing if it entered the lungs. The lungs are one of the more sterile organs when it comes to our body, and as you can imagine, they are designed very well to prevent any airborne pathogen from penetrating and entering the blood system. Things like mucus, the presence of many cell mediated defenders (like macrophages and neutrophils) keep the lungs pretty safe. So even if you inhaled a B cereus endospore and it germinated, it would quickly get destroyed. So now you’re probably asking, well why is B anthracis any different? Well B anthracis has a devastating ability to form a poly-D-glutamyl capsule, literally “sugar coating” itself. These capsule allows the bacteria to become engulfed but not destroyed. So when the cell mediated defenders in the lung phagocytize the endospores or bacilli, they are able to survive, get a free ride to the lymph nodes, and germinate into active bacilli. It quickly generates the necessary parts of its toxin causing edema and eventually n
