Many types of bacteria use insects as a resource for their
reproduction. In order to maximize their reproductive potential, some bacteria have evolved various mechanisms to gain access to living insects, and then reproduce in the host, eventually killing it. Alternatively, other bacteria first kill the host, often with the aid of toxins, and then invade and reproduce in the insect cadaver. The physical, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms by which bacteria
invade their hosts will be discussed in this presentation along with examples of how knowledge of these processes has been used to control insects through the development of microbial insecticides and insect-resistant transgenic crops.
Keywords: insect pathogen
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