Bacillus cereus may be going uncounted in Africa’s food poisoning cases

A review found sparse data on the bacterium across Africa, with many outbreaks possibly recorded only as unspecified food poisoning.

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

The review examined research on Bacillus cereus in African food systems, including its presence in foods, toxin-related genes and resistance to antibiotics. Cereal-based foods, dairy products and ready-to-eat street foods were the food groups most often reported as contaminated.

What the review found

Only 10 studies met the review’s eligibility criteria for the 25-year period, highlighting a severe lack of data across Africa’s 54 countries. Reported contamination rates ranged from 15% to more than 70%, depending on the food tested and the detection method used. Genes linked to toxins called nhe, hbl and cytK were highly prevalent, while the ces gene cluster associated with the emetic toxin was less common but still detected. Resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics was consistently reported. The review found no continent-wide surveillance system for Bacillus cereus and said outbreaks may be misclassified as unspecified food poisoning.

Why missing cases matter

If Bacillus cereus cases are recorded only as unspecified food poisoning, health authorities may have an incomplete picture of where the bacterium occurs and how often it causes illness. The authors describe it as an indicator of weaknesses in food safety systems and call for stronger laboratory capacity, including genetic testing, as well as routine surveillance linked to African food safety and One Health strategies.

Evidence and limitations

This was a mini-review of peer-reviewed studies published from January 2000 through October 2025, using searches of several international and regional research databases. Its conclusions are limited by the small number of eligible studies, the uneven coverage of 54 countries and differences in food types and detection methods. The reported contamination range therefore does not represent a single estimate for Africa as a whole.

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