BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF BACILLUS LARVAE ORIGINATED FROM AMERICAN FOULBROOD OF HONEYBEE IN JAPAN

The biological properties and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents o f Bacillus larvae were examined. Twenty-nine strains, 28 isolates from each outbreak of American foulbrood in Japan and a B, larvae type str ain (ATCC 9545(T)) were used. Our B.larvae isolates had almost the sam e biological properties as the type strain. The isolates were more sus ceptible to penicillins, macrolides and lincomycin, a lincosamide, tha n other antimicrobials. Mirosamicin among the macrolides and ampicilli n among the penicillins appeared to be the most effective agents.