Bacillus thuringiensis serotype H34 isolated from human and insecticidal strains serotypes 3a3b and H14 can lead to death of immunocompetent mice after pulmonary infection

In 1995, we isolated a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis serotype H34 from severe human tissue necrosis. This bacterium was able to induce myonecrosis in immunosuppressed mice after cutaneous infection. Its potential pathogenicity for immunocompetent hosts was investigated in a mouse model of pulmonary infection. Mice infected intranasally by a suspension containing 10(8) spores died within 8 h in a clinical toxic-shock syndrome. In the same conditions, infection with a mutant without crystalline toxin, with the supernatant from a culture containing 10(8) bacteria ml(-1) and by the insecticidal strain serotypes 3a3b or H14 led to identical results. Lower inocula simply induced a local inflammatory reaction with bacterial persistence observed during the course of 10 days.