Toxicity of parasporal crystals of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis to mosquitoes.
Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (ONR-60A/WHO 1897) parasporal crystals to three medically important mosquito larvae is described. The numbers of larvae killed are in relation to crystal dry weight. The crystals are lethally toxic to Aedes aegypti Linnaeus (mean 50% lethal concentration [LC50] = 1.9 x 10(-4) micrograms/ml), Culex pipiens var. quinquefasciatus Say (LC50 = 3.7 x 10(-4) micrograms/ml), and Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann (LC50 = 8.0 x 10(-3) micrograms/ml). Purfied crystals of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, which are toxic to lepidopteran insects, are ineffective against the mosquito larvae. Likewise, B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis parasporal crystals are not efficacious for larvae of the lepidopteran, Manduca sexta.
D000330:Aedes / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000187:drug effects; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000633:toxicity*; D003461:Crystallography; D003465:Culex / Q000187:drug effects; D009033:Culicidae / Q000187:drug effects*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D009026:Mortality; D009032:Mosquito Control; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D013045:Species Specificity; D013171:Spores, Bacterial
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins