title: Prevalence of beta-exotoxin, diarrhoeal toxin and specific delta-endotoxin in natural isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis.
abstract: Of newly isolated colonies with the appearance of Bacillus thuringiensis, 47.5% were found to produce the parasporal crystals characteristic of this species. These positive isolates were screened using the polymerase chain reaction for their possession of a gene encoding a specific protoxin type, CryIB. Strains with and without this gene were screened for their ability to produce beta-exotoxin and Bacillus cereus-type enterotoxin. It was found that 35% of the isolates possessed the cryIB gene; of these 83% also produced enterotoxin and 58% produced beta-exotoxin. No statistical significance was found for linkage between any of these characteristics. The probability, therefore, of isolating a strain of B. thuringiensis which specifically possessed the cryIB gene but did not produce either of the other, undesired, toxins, from the soil sample used, was 1.2%.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Life Sciences, University of Greenwich, London, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perani
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vaid
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000032:analysis; D013400:Sugar Acids / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004731:Endotoxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D013400:Sugar Acids; C040792:enterotoxin, Bacillus cereus; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis; C068295:thuringiensin; D000241:Adenosine