Common in soil. Some genera having similar life cycle are Brevibacterium. 2um or larger are single, in pairs, or in irregular clumps. Marked variation in cell shape. May produce slime.
Some strains produce soluble pigment which appears white under ultraviolet light.
Bacillus anthracis produces anthrax disease in sheep and man. B. cereus produces soluble toxins which may cause food poisoning. B. thuringiensis, larvae, popilliae, and some others produce disease in certain insects. Indiana Biolab has a collection of about 40 strains noted for insect bio-control. We plan several pages on Bacillus.