Bacillus thuringiensis

[ thoo-rin-jee-en-sis ]
/ θʊˌrɪn dʒiˈɛn sɪs /

noun

a bacterium used in genetically altered form in the biological control of budworms, gypsy moth larvae, Japanese beetles, and other insect pests. Abbreviation: B.t.

Origin of Bacillus thuringiensis

< New Latin (1915): Thuringian bacillus; so named in reference to its discovery in larvae of Mediterranean flour moths from a mill in Thuringia