Abstract:
The bacterial flora of three different species of roaches, Periplaneta americana, Blatta orientalis, and Blatella germanica was investigated. Four species of bacteria were isolated from the exoskeleton and six species were isolated from the digestive tracts. The bacterial flora was related to the environment from which the roaches were trapped. These microorganisms are transmitted from place to place by different means. Those living on the surface are transmitted by contact, and those living in the guts are transmitted through fecal waste. Roaches' fecal pellets and carcasses were found to harbor bacteria for a long period of time. Studies on the control of roaches by bacteria were also attempted during this work. It was found that if Serratia marcescens, an organism which lives inside the gut without causing any harm, was injected into the blood of the roach, death resulted, whereas heat-killed organisms had no such effect.
Description:
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