title: Bacillus thuringiensis in caterpillars and associated materials collected from protected tropical forests in northwestern Costa Rica.
abstract: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) synthesizes crystalline inclusions that are toxic to caterpillars (Lepidoptera) and other orders of invertebrates. Materials associated with 37 caterpillars from 16 species, collected while feeding on 15 different species of host plants in dry, cloud and rain forests located in the Area de Conservación Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica, were examined for the presence of Bt. From a total of 101 derived samples, 25 Bt isolates were cultured: 56% from host plant leaves, 8% from caterpillar guts and 36% from caterpillar fecal pellets. Bt was isolated from at least one sample in 38% of the systems constituted by the food plant, gut and fecal pellets corresponding to a single caterpillar. Four different morphologies of crystalline inclusions were observed, with bipyramidal and irregular crystal morphologies being the most prevalent.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San José, Costa Rica. rodriguez@biologie.uni-osnabrueck.de
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Sánchez
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sittenfeld
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Janzen
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Espinoza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000633:toxicity*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003364:Costa Rica; D017753:Ecosystem; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000382:microbiology; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000633:toxicity*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007306:Insecticides; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis