Characterization of the environmental fate of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kaurstaki (Btk) after pest eradication efforts in Seattle, WA and Fairfax county, VA
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
Understanding the fate of biological agents in the environment will be critical to recovery and restoration efforts after a biological attack. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is conducting experiments in the Seattle, WA and Fairfax County, VA areas to study agent fate in urban environments. As part of their gypsy moth suppression efforts, Washington State and Fairfax County have sprayed Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk), a common organic pesticide for decades. Many of the spray zones have been in or near urban areas. LANL has collected surface and bulk samples from historical Seattle spray zones to characterize how long Btk persists at detectable levels in the environment, and how long it remains viable in different environmental matrices. This work will attempt to address three questions. First, how long does the agent remain viable at detectable levels? Second, what is the approximate magnitude and duration of resuspension? And third, does the agent transport into buildings? Data designed to address the first question will be presented. Preliminary results indicate Btk remains viable in the environment for at least two years.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 960697
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-08-05986; LA-UR-08-5986; TRN: US201008%%630
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Chemical and Biological Defense, Physical Science and Technology conference ; November 1, 2008 ; New Orleans, LA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Impact of UV radiation on activity of linear furanocoumarins and Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki against Spodoptera exigua: Implications for tritrophic interactions
Cry1A(b)16 toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis : Theoretical refinement of three‐dimensional structure and prediction of peptides as molecular markers for detection of genetically modified organisms