Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (1994) 63, 229-234

B. Zelazny, D. Stephan and J. Hamacher (1994)
Irregular crystal formation in some isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 63 (3), 229-234
Abstract: A form of Bacillus thuringiensis was repeatedly isolated from African soil samples in which cells appear to differentiate into spore-forming and crystal-forming cells. Cells in which spores mature do not show any signs of crystal development, whereas other cells produce a large, composite, crystalline structure which is released during lysis and which we interpret as being equivalent to the parasporal crystal of other strains of B. thuringiensis. The crystalline structure consists of an irregular main body and an oblong appendage. In 2-day-old cultures the ratio of free spores to free crystals is approximately 6, but subsequently drops to below 1. Bioassays with washed preparations of five isolates against 10 insect species showed that one isolate was weakly virulent against larvae of Plutella xylostella.

This type of B. thuringiensis was described later as Bacillus thuringiensis var. yunnanensis by Balasubramanian et al., 2002.
(The abstract has been supplied by the author or ISPI and is excluded from the Creative Commons licence.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Bernhard Zelazny, Dietrich Stephan

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Bacillus thuringiensis var. yunnanensis (entomopathogen)