Isolation And Identification Of Bacillus Thuringiensis From Aedesaegypti Larvae As Potential Source Of Endotoxin To Control Dengue Vectors

Dengue is an emergent disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitos prominent in tropical countries. Numerous methods have been used to prevent the spread of Dengue fever, such as fogging and treatment using anti-larvae chemicals, yet these methods are harmful. Bacillus thuringiensis found in Aedes aegypti larvae is capable of producing endotoxin that able to kill insects without any side effect on humans, thus it is able to control Dengue vectors without any adverse effects to the environment. Aedes aegypti larvae were crushed and mixed with saline solution to isolate the bacteria in the larvae. From all bacterial colonies extracted from the larvae, 13 colonies with appearance closest to Bacillus colonies were screened using gram staining, spore staining, and biochemical testing. From 13 colonies, 8 of them were further analysed using ARDRA and cry1A gene amplification. These analyses showed one of the colonies had cry1A gene, which indicated the colony was Bacillus thuringiensis. The isolated Bacillus thuringiensis was used for endotoxin production and efficacy assays.