AUTHOR=Shishir Asaduzzaman , Roy Arpita , Islam Namista , Rahman Alamgir , Khan Shakila N. , Hoq Md. Mozammel 

TITLE=Abundance and diversity of Bacillus thuringiensis in Bangladesh and their cry genes profile

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=2

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2014.00020

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2014.00020

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Bacillus thuringiensis</italic> (<italic>Bt</italic>) biopesticides, a recognized eco-friendly pest control agent, can be used to reduce many problems associated with indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides such as environmental pollutions, public health problems, emergence of resistance among pests in many developing countries etc. <italic>Bt</italic> strains were, therefore, isolated from different ecosystems of Bangladesh and characterized based on biochemical typing, 16S rRNA gene analysis, plasmid and <italic>cry</italic> genes profiles. <italic>Bt</italic> index was calculated 0.86 in this study and variations in abundance and distribution pattern of 16 different biotypes were demonstrated within 316 indigenous <italic>Bt</italic> strains which was compared to the other parts of the world. <italic>Bt indiana</italic> (17.8%), <italic>Bt kurstaki</italic> (16.7%), and <italic>Bt thuringiensis</italic> (12.7%) were found to be the most prevalent in Bangladesh among other biotypes. Hemolytic activity was variable among the biotypes and it was maximum for <italic>Bt</italic> biotype 10 (100%). Plasmids in the biotypes <italic>indiana</italic>, <italic>kurstaki</italic>, <italic>thuringiensis</italic>, and <italic>israelensis</italic> were observed to occupy a wider range than other biotypes. The screening for insecticidal genes viz. <italic>cry1, cry2, cry3, cry4A, cry8, cry9, cry10</italic>, and <italic>cry11</italic> in the native <italic>Bt</italic> strains revealed their presence in varied proportion rendering <italic>cry1</italic>, <italic>cry2</italic>, and <italic>cry3</italic> the most abundant. The abundance of <italic>Bt</italic> strains, their diversities and the <italic>cry</italic> genes profile were thus analyzed in this study which will be the basis for further research development with <italic>Bt</italic> biopesticide in Bangladesh.</p>