2004/11/01 by Marise Tanaka Suzuki, Didier Lereclus, Olivia M. Nagy Arantes +1
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control #Insect Resistance and Genetics #Insect and Pesticide Research
paper · doi:10.1139/w04-087
openalex publication_date 2004/11/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
In favorable conditions Bacillus thuringiensis spores germinate and vegetative cells multiply, whereas in unfavorable conditions Bacillus thuringiensis sporulates and produces insecticidal crystal proteins. The development of B. thuringiensis strains was investigated in the larvae of insects belonging to the orders Lepidoptera and Diptera. Bacillus thuringiensis strains able to kill the insects did not always multiply in cadavers. Strains with no specificity to kill the insect sometimes multiplied when the insects were killed mechanically. These results indicate that some insect larvae represent an environment that favors the germination of B. thuringiensis spores and the multiplication of vegetative cells; however, there was no correlation between the toxin specificity and the specificity of the host.