A mini-review of Bacillus thuringiensis application to control important economic and zoonotic parasites

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a gram-positive and ubiquitous bacterium, isolated from various habitats, materials, and organisms. Over 100 varieties and ~60,000 strains of this bacterium have been identified. The produced toxins from this bacterium are specific to invertebrates with various modes of action. More reports are available regarding toxins indicating potential for biological control against agricultural pests and human and animal parasites. Therefore, an excellent and promising prospect for their use in the future as unique alternatives for current synthetic pesticides can be imagined. In this mini-review, we only reviewed the findings of the previous studies about the biological activity of Bt products on important medical and veterinary parasites.