Characterization of Ethidium Bromide Resistant Phenotypic Mutants of Bacillus anthracis

Anthrax is a fatal septicaemic disease affecting a wide range of species, including humans. The disadvantages of live spore veterinary vaccine justify the extensive interest in development of improved safer vaccines against anthrax. In present study, ethidium bromide, the DNA-intercalating agent was used as a mutagenic agent to create various undefined mutations. The mutants so developed were evaluated for various virulence indicators like hydrophobicity, which ranged from 10.53 - 30%, adhesibility, which ranged from 13.11 -55.37% and antibiotic sensitivity test where all the mutants showed somewhat similar pattern except strain M2, M3 and M7, which were resistant to co-trimoxazole. Remarkable differences observed among the developed mutants of Bacillus anthracis clearly indicates strain variability, which might have been occurred because of mutational events.