Open AccessEffects of Sesquiterpene Lactones on the Growth of Bacillus Thuringiensis
Author(s) -
James O’Higgins Norman,
James H. Johnson,
Hilton H. Mollenhauer,
Shirlee M. Meola
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.07
H-Index - 259
eISSN - 1070-6283
pISSN - 0066-4804
DOI - 10.1128/aac.9.3.535
Subject(s) - bacillus thuringiensis , spore , strain (injury) , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , bacillales , bacteriophage , bacillaceae , sesquiterpene , escherichia coli , botany , genetics , gene , bacillus subtilis , anatomy
Two sesquiterpene lactones, hymenovin and tenulin, were tested for their effect on growth of two strains ofBacillus thuringiensis . Growth of both strains was 98% inhibited by 0.6 mg of tenulin per ml, but only 15 to 20% was inhibited by the same level of hymenovin. Hymenovin appeared to have a mutagenic effect onB. thuringiensis cultures resulting in production of several variant strains. Some of the variant strains had lost their ability to form spores and crystals. Hymenovin also inducedB. thuringiensis to produce significant levels of bacteriophage. All variant strains were as susceptible to phage as the parent strain. Although the bactericidal activity of tenulin was two times as great as of hymenovin, tenulin did not appear to have a mutagenic effect on the bacteria.