Isolation of Plasmid-Harboring Serratia plymuthica from Facultative Gut Microflora of the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta

Abstract

Aseptic isolation of the facultative gut microflora of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta , yielded four microorganisms. Two were gram-positive Bacillus spp., one was Serratia plymuthica , and another was the yeast Candida guilliermondii . The three bacterial species were screened for extrachromosomal DNA, and S. plymuthica was found to have a 6.4-kilobase plasmid, which was designated pCP-1.