Open AccessPhenotypic and genotypic comparisons of 23 strains from the Bacillus cereus complex for a selection of known and putative B. thuringiensis virulence factors
Author(s) -
Guttmann Daniel M.,
Ellar David J.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2000.tb09160.x
Subject(s) - lecithinase , bacillus thuringiensis , biology , bacillus cereus , virulence , microbiology and biotechnology , cereus , bacillaceae , bacillus subtilis , gene , genetics , bacteria
Sixteen Bacillus thuringiensis , four Bacillus cereus and three Bacillus anthracis isolates were screened for a selection of known and putative B. thuringiensis virulence factors. PCR primers were designed to detect genes for phosphatidylcholine specific phospholipase C, phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C, immune inhibitor A, vegetative insecticidal protein 3A, a protein proposed to be involved in capsule synthesis, a newly identified Ser/Thr kinase homologue and enterotoxin entS. Motility, the presence of flagella, haemolysis, chitinase and lecithinase production were also evaluated. The widely varying profiles of the 23 strains from the complex provide a pool of different genotypes that can help to identify factors involved in pathogenicity.