A purified Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein with therapeutic activity against the hookworm parasite Ancylostoma ceylanicum.

ABSTRACT: Crystal (Cry) proteins produced by the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are harmless to vertebrates, but they are highly toxic to insects and nematodes. Their value in controlling insects that destroy crops and transmit human diseases is well established. Although it has recently been demonstrated that a few individual Bt Cry proteins, such as Cry5B, are toxic to a wide range of free-living nematodes, the potential activity of purified Cry proteins against parasitic nematodes remains largely unknown. We report here studies aimed at characterizing in vitro and in vivo anthelminthic activities of purified recombinant Cry5B against the hookworm parasite Ancylostoma ceylanicum, a bloodfeeding gastrointestinal nematode for which humans are permissive hosts. By using in vitro larval de

SUBMITTER: Cappello M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1622792 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature