A Systematic Review of the Genus Bacillus as a Sustainable One Health Strategy to Mitigate Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation in the Food Chain

Environmental contamination by heavy metals like lead and cadmium poses critical risks to the animal – human - environment interface. In veterinary medicine, these toxins manifest in life threatening hazards, such as Plumbism (lead poisoning) and skeletal disorders in livestock, which subsequently threaten human health via the food chain. Traditional remediation is often unsustainable; thus this review systematically evaluates the bioremediation potential of Bacillus species as a green, proactive food-safety barrier. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were performed across PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed studies published between 2018 and 2026. Inclusion criteria focused specifically on the genus Bacillus, heavy metal detoxification mechanisms (biosorption and biotransformation), and veterinary/agricultural application. Evidence from selected studies indicates that Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus exhibit superior resistance, achieving significant metal removal efficiencies, with reports exceeding 90% in optimized conditions. Gene expression analysis identifies critical resistance operons, such as pbr for lead and cad for cadmium, as the primary drivers of detoxification. Furthermore, findings suggest that microbial intervention reduces environmental metallic stress, thereby mitigating the “co-selection” of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in contaminated soil and water. Systematic review evidence identifies the genus Bacillus as a modern, sustainable solution to HM toxicity. Integrating these microbial strategies into veterinary environmental management provides a robust framework for decoupling chemical pollution from animal products, directly supporting the goals of the “One Health” moto.