Bacillus thuringiensis

A rod-shaped bacterium (Bt for short) from the order Bacillaceae. The name was derived from the fact that it was isolated in 1911 from a flour moth that came from a mill in Thuringia (Germany). It is a soil bacterium that lives in association with plant roots and contains a protein crystal that is toxic to certain insects. The toxins protect the roots from damage by insects.

Mode of action

Genes transferred into crop plants cause the plants to produce Bt toxins on their own. These have a lethal effect on the larvae of insects of the orders of beetles, butterflies and dipterans (mosquitoes and flies). After being eaten by the larvae, it is released in their intestines and develops its lethal effect. However, the bacterium has no effect on plants and vertebrates such as humans (but see below).

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Bacillus thuringiensis

Mode of action

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