Morphological characteristics of Bacillus subtilis
| Basic Characteristics | Properties (Bacillus subtilis) |
| Gram Staining | Positive (+ve) |
| Shape (Cocci/Diplococci/Rods) | Rods (with short and long chains) |
| Motility (Motile / Non-Motile) | Motile |
| Capsule (Capsulated/Non-Capsulated) | Variable |
| Spore (Sporing/Non-Sporing) | Spore forming |
| Flagella (Flagellated/Non-Flagellated) | Flagellated (multiple, rotating flagella) |
| Pigment | Negative (-ve) |
Biochemical test for the identification of Bacillus subtilis
| Catalase | Positive (+ve) |
| Citrate utilization test | Positive (+ve) |
| Gas | Negative (-ve) |
| Gelatin Hydrolysis test | Positive (+ve) |
| Indole | Negative (-ve) |
| MR (Methyl Red) | Negative (-ve) |
| Nitrate Reduction | Positive (+ve) |
| Oxidase | Variable |
| Urease | Negative (-ve) |
| VP (Voges Proskauer) | Positive (+ve) |
Fermentation by Bacillus subtilis
| Adonitol | Negative (-ve) |
| Arabinose | Positive (+ve) |
| Arabitol | Negative (-ve) |
| Cellobiose | Positive (+ve) |
| Dulcitol | Negative (-ve) |
| Erythritol | Negative (-ve) |
| Fructose | Positive (+ve) |
| Galactose | Variable |
| Glucose | Positive (+ve) |
| Glycerol | Positive (+ve) |
| Glycogen | Positive (+ve) |
| Inositol | Positive (+ve) |
| Inulin | Variable |
| Lactose | Variable |
| Maltose | Positive (+ve) |
| Mannitol | Positive (+ve) |
| Mannose | Positive (+ve) |
| Melibiose | Variable |
| Raffinose | Positive (+ve) |
| Rhamnose | Negative (-ve) |
| Ribose | Positive (+ve) |
| Salicin | Positive (+ve) |
| Sorbitol | Positive (+ve) |
| Starch | Positive (+ve) |
| Sucrose | Positive (+ve) |
| Trehalose | Positive (+ve) |
| Xylose | Positive (+ve) |
Enzymatic Reactions by Bacillus subtilis
| Arginine Dehydrolase | Negative (-ve) |
| Casein Hydrolysis | Positive (+ve) |
| Esculin Hydrolysis | Positive (+ve) |
| Lecithinase | Negative (-ve) |
| Lysine | Negative (-ve) |
| Ornithine Decarboxylase | Negative (-ve) |
| Phenylalanine Deaminase | Negative (-ve) |
| Tyrosine Hydrolysis | Negative (-ve) |
