The NheA component of the non-hemolytic enterotoxin of Bacillus cereus is produced by Bacillus anthracis but is not required for virulence.

A non-hemolytic enterotoxin (NHE) is one of the two enterotoxins thought to cause diarrhea produced by Bacillus cereus. We identified genes in Bacillus anthracis homologous to the B. cereus nheAB genes encoding proteins of the NHE complex. The NheA component was detected immunologically in culture supernatants from B. anthracis but not from a NheA(-) mutant, suggesting that B. anthracis produces and secretes the NheA subunit of NHE. A NheA deletion mutant was not attenuated in the guinea pig suggesting that NheA is not absolutely required for virulence.