Taxonomic studies were made on 278 strains of bacteria from 600 isolations which originated in 177 samples of egg powder submitted by 32 dehydration plants located in 15 different states. Morphological and biochemical findings revealed that 271 of the strains were Bacillus subtilis and 7 were B. brevis. These strains were all aerobic mesophilic spore-forming bacilli, but were found to be capable of growth at 55[degree]C. Their presence in a given egg powder sample may be related to the quality of the shell eggs processed and the degree of plant sanitation practiced.