Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive, sporulating soil microbe with valuable pesticide-producing properties. The study of bacteriophages of B. thuringiensis could provide new biotechnological tools for the use of this bacterium. Here, we present the complete annotated genome of Spock, a myophage of B. thuringiensis, and describe its features.

A mosquitocidal toxin gene, cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, was introduced into mutant crystal-negative B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cells. Partial toxicity to mosquitos was restored. The 58-kilodalton cloned gene product is a minor protein component of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis crystals and is structurally related to a major, 135-kilodalton crystal toxin.

Electron microscopy of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kyushuensis revealed that the parasporal inclusions are composed of a homogeneous center surrounded by a thick, electron-dense coating. Antibodies directed against the 135- and 65-kilodalton B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis peptides cross-reacted with the 70- and 26-kilodalton peptides, respectively, of B. thuringiensis subsp. kyushuensis.

Sixteen Bacillus thuringiensis, four Bacillus cereus and three Bacillus anthracis isolates were screened for a selection of known and putative B. thuringiensis virulence factors. PCR primers were designed to detect genes for phosphatidylcholine specific phospholipase C, phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C, immune inhibitor A, vegetative insecticidal protein 3A, a protein proposed to b...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect and quantitate the parasporal crystal toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis subspp. kurstaki and israelensis. The assay method described is extremely sensitive, accurate, and highly specific. With this technique, crystalline insecticidal proteins from several subspecies of B. thuringiensis were compared. The dipteran crystal toxin produced by B...

Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis strain T01-328, isolated from Cubatão county (São Paulo State, Brazil), produces a soluble pesticide protein, Cry1Ia, during vegetative growth. Here, we report the 7.089-Mbp draft genome sequence, composed of a 5.5-Mb chromosome and 14 plasmids, which is the largest B. thuringiensis genome sequenced to date.

Bacillus thuringiensis is an insect pathogen which has been widely used for biocontrol. During B. thuringiensis fermentation, lysogenic bacteriophages cause severe losses of yield. Here, we announce the complete genome sequence of a bacteriophage, BMBtp2, which is induced from B. thuringiensis strain YBT-1765, which may be helpful to clarify the mechanism involved in bacteriophage contamination.

A Gram-positive bacterium, designated as strain B1(2015b), was isolated from the soil of the chemical factory "Organika-Azot" in Jaworzno, Poland. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolated strain was classified as a Bacillus thuringiensis species. Strain B1(2015b) is able to degrade ibuprofen and naproxen, however, these compounds are not sufficient carbon sources for this s...

Bacillus thuringiensis is the most widely used biological pesticide in the world. It belongs to the Bacillus cereus sensu lato group, which contains six species. Among these six species, B. thuringiensis, B. anthracis, and B. cereus have a low genetic diversity. B. thuringiensis strain HD521 shows maroon colony which is different from most of the B. thuringiensis strains. Strain HD521 also disp...

Representative strains of the Bacillus cereus group of bacteria, including Bacillus anthracis (11 isolates), B. cereus (38 isolates), Bacillus mycoides (1 isolate), Bacillus thuringiensis (53 isolates from 17 serovars), and Bacillus weihenstephanensis (2 isolates) were assigned to 59 sequence types (STs) derived from the nucleotide sequences of seven alleles, glpF, gmk, ilvD, pta, pur, pycA, an...