CHARACTERIZATION OF 6 HIGHLY MOSQUITOCIDAL BACILLUS-THURINGIENSIS STRAINS THAT DO NOT BELONG TO H-14 SEROTYPE

Four strains belonging to Bacillus thuringiensis serovars thompsoni, m alaysiensis, canadensis, jegathesan and two auto-agglutinating B.t. st rains were identified as being highly toxic to the mosquito larvae of the species Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and Culex pipiens. The ir larvicidal and hemolytic activities were determined and compared wi th those of strains known to be highly mosquitocidal and/or cytolytic from serovars of B.t. israelensis, morrisoni, darmstadiensis, medellin , kyushuensis, and fukuokaensis. The electrophoretic protein profiles of purified crystals and immunological relationships with B.t.i. polyp eptides were studied. Five out of the six new strains showed the same larvicidal and hemolytic activities and the same crystal proteins and toxin genes as B.t.i. One strain, B.t. jegathesan 367, presented a nov el pattern of larvicidal activity and a protein profile different from those of other strains.