---
_id: '1548'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Reproduction within a host and transmission to the next host are crucial for
    the virulence and fitness of pathogens. Nevertheless, basic knowledge about such
    parameters is often missing from the literature, even for well-studied bacteria,
    such as Bacillus thuringiensis, an endospore-forming insect pathogen, which infects
    its hosts via the oral route. To characterize bacterial replication success, we
    made use of an experimental oral infection system for the red flour beetle Tribolium
    castaneum and developed a flow cytometric assay for the quantification of both
    spore ingestion by the individual beetle larvae and the resulting spore load after
    bacterial replication and resporulation within cadavers. On average, spore numbers
    increased 460-fold, showing that Bacillus thuringiensis grows and replicates successfully
    in insect cadavers. By inoculating cadaver-derived spores and spores from bacterial
    stock cultures into nutrient medium, we next investigated outgrowth characteristics
    of vegetative cells and found that cadaver- derived bacteria showed reduced growth
    compared to bacteria from the stock cultures. Interestingly, this reduced growth
    was a consequence of inhibited spore germination, probably originating from the
    host and resulting in reduced host mortality in subsequent infections by cadaver-derived
    spores. Nevertheless, we further showed that Bacillus thuringiensis transmission
    was possible via larval cannibalism when no other food was offered. These results
    contribute to our understanding of the ecology of Bacillus thuringiensis as an
    insect pathogen.
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Barbara
  full_name: Milutinovic, Barbara
  id: 2CDC32B8-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Milutinovic
  orcid: 0000-0002-8214-4758
- first_name: Christina
  full_name: Höfling, Christina
  last_name: Höfling
- first_name: Momir
  full_name: Futo, Momir
  last_name: Futo
- first_name: Jörn
  full_name: Scharsack, Jörn
  last_name: Scharsack
- first_name: Joachim
  full_name: Kurtz, Joachim
  last_name: Kurtz
citation:
  ama: 'Milutinovic B, Höfling C, Futo M, Scharsack J, Kurtz J. Infection of Tribolium
    castaneum with Bacillus thuringiensis: Quantification of bacterial replication
    within cadavers, transmission via cannibalism, and inhibition of spore germination.
    <i>Applied and Environmental Microbiology</i>. 2015;81(23):8135-8144. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02051-15">10.1128/AEM.02051-15</a>'
  apa: 'Milutinovic, B., Höfling, C., Futo, M., Scharsack, J., &#38; Kurtz, J. (2015).
    Infection of Tribolium castaneum with Bacillus thuringiensis: Quantification of
    bacterial replication within cadavers, transmission via cannibalism, and inhibition
    of spore germination. <i>Applied and Environmental Microbiology</i>. American
    Society for Microbiology. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02051-15">https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02051-15</a>'
  chicago: 'Milutinovic, Barbara, Christina Höfling, Momir Futo, Jörn Scharsack, and
    Joachim Kurtz. “Infection of Tribolium Castaneum with Bacillus Thuringiensis:
    Quantification of Bacterial Replication within Cadavers, Transmission via Cannibalism,
    and Inhibition of Spore Germination.” <i>Applied and Environmental Microbiology</i>.
    American Society for Microbiology, 2015. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02051-15">https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02051-15</a>.'
  ieee: 'B. Milutinovic, C. Höfling, M. Futo, J. Scharsack, and J. Kurtz, “Infection
    of Tribolium castaneum with Bacillus thuringiensis: Quantification of bacterial
    replication within cadavers, transmission via cannibalism, and inhibition of spore
    germination,” <i>Applied and Environmental Microbiology</i>, vol. 81, no. 23.
    American Society for Microbiology, pp. 8135–8144, 2015.'
  ista: 'Milutinovic B, Höfling C, Futo M, Scharsack J, Kurtz J. 2015. Infection of
    Tribolium castaneum with Bacillus thuringiensis: Quantification of bacterial replication
    within cadavers, transmission via cannibalism, and inhibition of spore germination.
    Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 81(23), 8135–8144.'
  mla: 'Milutinovic, Barbara, et al. “Infection of Tribolium Castaneum with Bacillus
    Thuringiensis: Quantification of Bacterial Replication within Cadavers, Transmission
    via Cannibalism, and Inhibition of Spore Germination.” <i>Applied and Environmental
    Microbiology</i>, vol. 81, no. 23, American Society for Microbiology, 2015, pp.
    8135–44, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02051-15">10.1128/AEM.02051-15</a>.'
  short: B. Milutinovic, C. Höfling, M. Futo, J. Scharsack, J. Kurtz, Applied and
    Environmental Microbiology 81 (2015) 8135–8144.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:52:39Z
date_published: 2015-12-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-23T09:22:27Z
day: '01'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.1128/AEM.02051-15
external_id:
  isi:
  - '000364775700018'
  pmid:
  - '26386058'
intvolume: '        81'
isi: 1
issue: '23'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4651099/
month: '12'
oa: 1
oa_version: Submitted Version
page: 8135 - 8144
pmid: 1
publication: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
publication_status: published
publisher: American Society for Microbiology
publist_id: '5623'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Infection of Tribolium castaneum with Bacillus thuringiensis: Quantification
  of bacterial replication within cadavers, transmission via cannibalism, and inhibition
  of spore germination'
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 81
year: '2015'
...