Bacillus subtilis facts for kids

Bacillus subtilis is a tiny living thing, a type of bacterium, that is shaped like a rod. It's often found in soil and can also live inside the stomachs of animals, including humans. This amazing bacterium can create a special, tough shell called an endospore to protect itself when times are hard.

What is Bacillus Subtilis?

Bacillus subtilis is a very common type of bacterium. It is known as a Gram-positive bacterium because of how it reacts to a special stain used in labs. This helps scientists identify it. It looks like a small rod under a microscope.

This bacterium is also a facultative anaerobe. This means it can live and grow whether there is oxygen around or not. This ability helps it survive in many different places.

Where Does It Live?

Bacillus subtilis is most commonly found in soil. It plays an important role in the environment by helping to break down dead plants and other materials. You can also find it in the digestive systems of humans and other animals.

How Does It Help Us?

One of the most important things about Bacillus subtilis is that it can produce an antibiotic called bacitracin. Antibiotics are special medicines that help fight off harmful bacteria and stop infections. Scientists use Bacillus subtilis to make this helpful medicine.

Because it is so good at forming tough endospores, Bacillus subtilis is also used in some biotechnology and agriculture projects. For example, it can be used in some probiotics to help keep the gut healthy, or as a natural way to protect plants from diseases.

Images for kids

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  Gram-stained B. subtilis

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  Colonies of B. subtilis grown on a culture dish in a molecular biology laboratory.

See also

In Spanish: Bacillus subtilis para niños