Genetic differentiation between sympatric populations of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis.

ABSTRACT: Little is known about genetic exchanges in natural populations of bacteria of the spore-forming Bacillus cereus group, because no population genetics studies have been performed with local sympatric populations. We isolated strains of Bacillus thuringiensis and B. cereus from small samples of soil collected at the same time from two separate geographical sites, one within the forest and the other at the edge of the forest. A total of 100 B. cereus and 98 B. thuringiensis strains were isolated and characterized by electrophoresis to determine allelic composition at nine enzymatic loci. We observed genetic differentiation between populations of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis. Populations of a given Bacillus species--B. thuringiensis or B. cereus--were genetically more similar to each other t

SUBMITTER: Vilas-Boas G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC123783 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature