Biochemistry of The Haemolymph of Phthorimaea Operculella Larvae Treated with Bacillus Thuringiensis

Quantitative changes in the amino acids of haemolymph of the potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella after treatment with Bacillus thuringiensis were detected. The amounts of aspartic acid, threonine, serine, proline, glycine, alanine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and arginine decreased. Other acids such as glutamic acid, cysteine, histidine and lysine showed a marked increase after treatment with B. thuringiensis. P. operculella larvae treated with B. thuringiensis showed some reduction of calcium and magnesium ions but there was no obvious change in the level of zinc ions. A slight decrease in sodium and obvious increase in potassium and manganese ions occurred. The changes in Na+/K+ concentration after treatment throw light on the possibility that they may be among the factors interfering with toxicity caused by B. thuringiensis.