BACKGROUND Genetic fusion of the major birch pollen allergen (Bet v1) to bacterial surface-(S)-layer proteins resulted in recombinant proteins exhibiting reduced allergenicity as well as immunomodulatory capacity. Thus, S-layer/allergen fusion proteins were considered as suitable carriers for new immunotherapeutical vaccines for treatment of Type I hypersensitivity. Up to now, endotoxin contami...

Manganese is a contaminant in the wastewaters produced by Brazilian mining operations, and the removal of the metal is notoriously difficult because of the high stability of the Mn(II) ion in aqueous solutions. To explore a biological approach for removing excessive amounts of aqueous Mn(II), we investigated the potential of Mn(II) oxidation by both consortium and bacterial isolates from a Braz...

The present investigation was directed to determine the pathogenicity; bioefficacy and larvicidal activity of Bacillus sphaericus M3 against Anopheline and Culicine mosquitoes. B. sphaericus M3 showed high pathogenicity of 85.0% and 98.8% to Anopheline larvae, using vegetative cells or spores, respectively. In contrast, pathogenicity toward Culicine larvae was 45.0% and 48.8% for vegetative cel...

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (B.t.i.), HD-968-S-1983, and a primary powder of Bacillus sphaericus 2362 were assayed against Mansonia titillans and Ma. dyari. The susceptibility of the 2 species to the individual bacterial toxins was similar. The B.t.i. LC50 values were 50.5 micrograms/liter for Ma. dyari and 54.7 micrograms/liter for Ma. titillans; the B. sphaericus LC50 values were ...

Diaphorases are flavin-containing enzymes with potential applications in biotransfomation reactions, biosensor design and in vitro diagnostic tests. In this communication, we describe recombinant expression, characterization and application of a lipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) with diaphorase activity from a strain of Bacillus sphaericus. The DLD gene consisting of 1413 bp encoding a protein of 4...

Bacillus sphaericus strain C3-41 is an aerobic, mesophilic, spore-forming bacterium that has been used with great success in mosquito control programs worldwide. Genome sequencing revealed that the complete genome of this entomopathogenic bacterium is composed of a chromosomal replicon of 4,639,821 bp and a plasmid replicon of 177,642 bp, containing 4,786 and 186 potential protein-coding sequen...

A 3,080-base-pair KpnI-HindIII DNA fragment from Bacillus sphaericus 2362 coding for 51- and 42-kilodalton mosquitocidal proteins was cloned into Bacillus subtilis DB104 by using the vector pUB18. In B. subtilis these proteins were not detected during vegetative growth but were expressed during sporulation at levels comparable to those found in B. sphaericus.

We have shown that urea-extracted cell wall of entomopathogenic Bacillus sphaericus 2297 and some other strains is a potent larvicide against Culex pipiens mosquitoes, with 50% lethal concentrations comparable to that of the well-known B. sphaericus binary toxin, with which it acts synergistically. The wall toxicity develops in B. sphaericus 2297 cultures during the late logarithmic stage, earl...

The microbial control agents Bacillus thuringiensis (H-14) and B. sphaericus were evaluated in laboratory and field against Psorophora columbiae. Bacillus sphaericus strain 2362 was also tested in the field against Aedes melanimon. Psorophora columbiae was slightly more susceptible than Culex quinquefasciatus to active strains of B. sphaericus. The LC90 for active strains ranged from 0.013 to 0...