ABSTRACT
Bacillus laterosporus is a spore-forming bacterium characterized by its ability to produce a canoe-shaped lamellar parasporal inclusion, adjacent to the spore. In some B. laterosporus strains crystalline inclusions of various shapes and sizes, which are released separately from spores during the lysis of the sporangium, were also produced. The morphological characteristics of two crystal-forming strains, B. laterosporus BL 16-92 and LAT 006, were investigated.
Subject(s)
Bacillus/chemistry , Bacteriophages/chemistry , Spores, Bacterial/chemistry , Tail/ultrastructure , Animals , Bacillus/ultrastructure , Bacillus/virology , Bacteriophages/ultrastructure , In Vitro Techniques , Microscopy, Electron , Spores, Bacterial/ultrastructureABSTRACT
Phage typing schemes for Bacillus subtilis and B. thuringiensis were constructed using 98 phages and 743 bacterial strains. Most phages were host-species-specific. Phages were classified by electron microscopy. The B. subtilis scheme includes 10 phages and 29 phage types. The B. thuringiensis scheme comprises 8 phages and 25 phage types and can be applied to B. cereus. There is no correlation between H antigen serotypes and phagovars in B. thuringiensis. Characteristics of typing phages are described for identity control.
Subject(s)
Bacillus subtilis/virology , Bacillus thuringiensis/virology , Bacteriophage Typing/methods , Bacteriophages/classification , Bacteriophages/ultrastructure , In Vitro TechniquesABSTRACT
Electron microscopy revealed fimbrial appendages (pili) of three types on the surface of Bacillus thuringiensis spores. Fimbriated spores induced mannose-resistant agglutination of rat, guinea pig and/or chicken red blood cells. Each haemagglutination pattern correlated with the subspecies of a given B. thuringiensis strain, rather than with its flagellar serotype. Fimbriation and haemagglutination patterns of B. thuringiensis spores are considered to be of possible taxonomic value.
Subject(s)
Bacillus thuringiensis/physiology , Fimbriae, Bacterial/physiology , Hemagglutination , Animals , Bacillus thuringiensis/classification , Bacillus thuringiensis/ultrastructure , Bacterial Adhesion , Chickens , Fimbriae, Bacterial/ultrastructure , Guinea Pigs , Rats , Species Specificity , Spores, Bacterial/physiology , Spores, Bacterial/ultrastructureABSTRACT
Nine new species of tailed Bacillus phages, based on morphological and physicochemical properties, are defined. Phage P10 is one of the largest viruses known. The total number of tailed Bacillus phage species is presently 33.
Subject(s)
Bacillus Phages/classification , Bacillus Phages/ultrastructure , Bacillus Phages/isolation & purification , Bacillus subtilis/virology , Bacillus thuringiensis/virology , DNA, Viral/analysis , DNA, Viral/isolation & purification , Microscopy, Electron/methodsABSTRACT
The Bacillus laterosporus strains 921 and 615 were shown to have toxicity for larvae of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and Culex pipiens. The larvicidal activity of B. laterosporus was associated with spores and crystalline inclusions. Purified B. laterosporus 615 crystals were highly toxic for Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi.