[Interrelationship between the intestinal microflora of lackey moth, brown-tail moth and the entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis].

The interrelationship between the intestine microflora of lackey moth (Malacosoma neustria L.), brown-tail moth (Nygmia phaeorrhoea L.) and entomopathogenic bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Berl.), Bac. thuringiensis var. galleriea, and Bac. thuringiensis KR3 was studied in vitro. Various organisms of the intestine microflora of lackey moth display bacteriostatic action towards Bac. thuringiensis var. galleriea and Bac. thuringiensis KR3 which is not typical of the microflora of brown-tail moth that manifests mainly the batericidal action. Yeast cultures have been isolated from the intestines of lackey moth; the cultures stimulated growth of the studied entomopathogenic bacterial test cultures. Therefore, weak virulent action of Bac. thuringiensis towards brown-tail moth, as compared to its action on lackey moth, may be due to the bactericidal properties of some intestine microorganisms of brown-tail moth, and also the absence in their intestines of microorganisms stimulating growth of the entomopathogenic bacteria.