The incubation period for Bacillus Cereus in case of the emetic type of food poisoning: (A) 1-6 hours, (B) 8-16 hours, (C) 24 hours, (D) > 24 hours
Answer is A. Bacillus cereus: an impoant cause of food poisoning. Two patterns: diarrheal and emetic. Emetic type: associated with consumption of cooked rice, usually fried rice from restaurants. Nausea and vomiting 1-5 hours after the meal. Bacilli present in large numbers in cooked rice and fecal samples from these patients. Diarrheal type: associated with a wide range of foods including cooked meat and vegetables. It is characterized by diarrhea and abdominal pain, 8-16 hrs after ingestion of contaminated food. Reference: Textbook of Microbiology; Anathanarayan and paniker's; 10th edition; Page no: 253