Occurrence, recognition, and reversion of spontaneous, sporulation-deficient Bacillus anthracis mutants that arise during laboratory culture

Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming, soil-dwelling bacterium. This review describes the occurrence of spontaneous mutations leading to loss of sporulation and the selective pressures that can lead to their enrichment. We also discuss recognition of the associated phenotypes on solid medium, thereby allowing researchers to employ measures that either prevent or favor selection of sporulation-deficient mutants.