ABSTRACT
Background and Purpose: Among Bacilli, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracis are important and the latter causes anthrax. Toxin production in this bacillus is carried out by pxo1 gene and associated plasmid. Research has recently shown that this gene can transfer to other bacilli too. The present study was conducted to determine the frequency of pxo1 gene in bacilli other than Bacillus anthracis, so that they can be safely used in producing vaccines against anthrax
Methods and Materials: In this cross-sectional descriptive analytical study, 65 soil samples were collected from different geographical regions in Iran, and the organisms were isolated from the soil. Proteins isolated from bacilli were examined by SDS-PAGE technique, and the limits of coded proteins by pxo1 gene were specifically located. The data were summarized in Excel using figures and tables
Results: Based on the results, 13 out of 38 bacilli showed protein bands in the proteins coded by pxo1 gene, and all were from cereus family
Conclusion: In Iran, pxo1 plasmid has transferred from Bacillus anthracis to 13 bacilli isolated from Bacillus cereus