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Improved Cultivation Systems For Isolation Of The Colorado Potato Beetle Spiroplasma., Meghnad Konai, K. J. Hackett, D. L. Williamson, J. J. Lipa, J. D. Pollack, G. E. Gasparich, E. A. Clark, D. C. Vacek, R. F. Whitcomb
Improved Cultivation Systems For Isolation Of The Colorado Potato Beetle Spiroplasma., Meghnad Konai, K. J. Hackett, D. L. Williamson, J. J. Lipa, J. D. Pollack, G. E. Gasparich, E. A. Clark, D. C. Vacek, R. F. Whitcomb
Gail Gasparich
In North America, the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is often infected with the host-specific, gut-inhabiting Colorado potato beetle spiroplasma (CPBS). CPBS is apparently a commensal, but it may be useful in biocontrol if it can be transformed to express an insect-lethal gene. Difficulty in cultivating the organism, however, has hindered the development of a suitable transformation system. In this study, we eliminated the need for coculturing CPBS with insect cells. CPBS was reliably isolated with the BBL Anaerobic GasPak Jar system (low redox, enhanced CO(inf2)), which was easier to use and less expensive than insect cell coculture methods. A …