Miller L K, Lingg A J, Bulla L A
Science. 1983 Feb 11;219(4585):715-21. doi: 10.1126/science.219.4585.715.
Microorganisms that are pathogenic to insects provide a wealth of biological material that can be exploited by humans to control insect pests. Innovative applications of a few such entomopathogens are found throughout the world, but widespread commercial production of microbial insecticides awaits further studies of the biology, ecology, and pathogenicity of the agents. Genetic engineering techniques may be used to increase the virulence of these microorganisms, as well as to make them more tolerant of physical and chemical conditions and perhaps to broaden their host ranges. The use of microbial insecticides could decrease our dependence on chemical pesticides.
对昆虫致病的微生物提供了丰富的生物材料，可供人类利用来控制害虫。在世界各地都发现了一些此类昆虫病原体的创新应用，但微生物杀虫剂的广泛商业生产仍有待对这些病原体的生物学、生态学和致病性进行进一步研究。基因工程技术可用于提高这些微生物的毒力，以及使其对物理和化学条件更具耐受性，或许还能扩大它们的宿主范围。使用微生物杀虫剂可以减少我们对化学杀虫剂的依赖。
