BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS Chemical Properties
Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) is a Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium.
BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS History
Bacillus thuringiensis was discovered 1901 in Japan by Ishiwata and 1911 in Germany by Ernst Berliner, who discovered a disease called Schlaffsucht in flour moth caterpillars. Bacillus thuringiensis is closely related to B. cereus, a soil bacterium, and B. anthracis, the cause of anthrax: the three organisms differ mainly in their plasmids. Like other members of the genus, all three are aerobes capable of producing endospores.
Zakharyan R.A et al. (1976,1977,1979) first reported the presence of plasmids in B. thuringiensis and suggested involvement of the plasmids in endospore/crystal formation.
BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS Uses
Bacillus thuringiensis is commonly used as a pesticide.Bacillus thuringiensis-based insecticides are often applied as liquid sprays on crop plants, where the insecticide must be ingested to be effective.
Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis, a strain of B. thuringiensis is widely used as a larvicide against mosquito larvae, where it is also considered an environmentally friendly method of mosquito control.
BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS Toxicity Data With Reference
1. | | orl-rat LD50:>20 g/kg | | SPEADM Special Publication of the Entomological Society of America. (4603 Calvert Rd., College Park, MD 20740) 78-1 (1978),11. |
2. | | skn-rat LD50:>5 g/kg | | PEMNDP Pesticide Manual, 9 (1991),49. |
3. | | skn-rbt LD50:>20 g/kg | | SPEADM Special Publication of the Entomological Society of America. (4603 Calvert Rd., College Park, MD 20740) 78-1 (1978),11. |
BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS Consensus Reports
Reported in EPA TSCA Inventory.
BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS Safety Profile
Low toxicity by ingestion and skin contact. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating vapors.