Characterization of genetic diversity of some serovars of Bacillus thuringiensis by RAPD.

RAPD based fingerprinting of 21 serovars of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) representing different serotypes was performed using 19 random decamer primers. A total of 172 polymorphic fragments, ranging in size from 161-2789 bp, were amplified from 13 of the 19 primers. Pairwise genetic similarity analysis revealed very low similarity values, ranging from 3-68%, among the serovars of Bt, indicating high genetic divergence. Nineteen serovars of Bt fell in two major clusters and remaining two formed solitary clusters in the dendogram. Clustering of Bt strains established genetic relatedness between serovars and serotypes. It has been suggested that RAPD analysis can be used for genotypic characterization of Bt to complement flagellar serotyping.