Author index volume 36 (1985)

Abstract

Whole-cell cellular fatty acid (CFA) composition was utilized to determine if Bacillus thuringiensis serovar kurstaki (HD-1) larvicides produced by different manufacturers could be distinguished from each other and to determine whether these larvicides were distinguishable from isolates deposited in public collections. This study analyzed Biobit, Dipel, Foray, Thuricide, and the non HD-1 larvicides Delfin and Javelin, as well as the 1971 and 1980 Standards of HD-1. Isolates of HD-1 deposited in the collections of the American Type Culture Collection, Bacillus Genetic Stock Center, Pasteur Institute, and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were also analyzed. The data were grouped by hierarchical cluster analysis based on the unpaired-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA). Samples that linked at a Euclidean distance ≤2.0 units were considered to belong to the same fatty acid strain. Isolates of HD-1 from commercial products and deposits of HD-1 in the public collections and Standards were polytypic; 22 separate fatty acid strains were identified in the 1971 and 1980 Standards and 35 fatty acid strains were identified in the public collections. The type strain for Btk contained multiple fatty acid strains; three fatty acid strains were present in both the Bacillus Genetic Stock Center and the Pasteur Institute collections. In contrast, the type strain for serovar kurstaki in the USDA collection (HD-73) was monotypic and its fatty acid strain did not occur in other collections. We could distinguish between HD-1 and non-HD-1 larvicides using CFA composition. We conclude that CFA analysis may be used to identify commercial products.