Rapid identification and speciation ofHaemophilus bacteria by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

✍ Scribed by Haag, Anthony M.; Taylor, Stephanie N.; Johnston, Kenneth H.; Cole, Richard B.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 262 KB
• Volume: 33
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1076-5174
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9888(199808)33:8<750::aid-jms680>3.0.co;2-1

✦ Synopsis

Several species of the genus Haemophilus are well known etiological agents of pneumonia, meningitis, conjunctivitis, epiglottitis and chancroid. However, identiÐcation and speciation of Haemophilus is both time consuming and labor intensive. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-Ñight mass spectrometry (MALDI/TOF-MS) has been used by several investigators to proÐle proteins from intact and disrupted bacteria ; consequently, MALDI/TOF-MS has emerged as a powerful tool in diagnostic bacteriology. This paper reports the use of MALDI/TOF-MS as a technique for the rapid identiÐcation and speciation of Haemophilus. This technique was used to not only identify the pathogen, H. ducreyi, but also to determine strain di †erences from di †erent isolates. Mass spectral "ÐngerprintsÏ were obtained which permitted the rapid speciation of not only pathogenic forms of Haemophilus, but also those bacteria which are normally regarded as non-pathogenic and members of the normal Ñora. MALDI/TOF mass spectra can be acquired in 10 min, allowing the identiÐcation of Haemophilus spp. within 24 h rather than the 48 h or more needed for traditional bacteriological methods. In addition, these are the Ðrst mass spectral Ðngerprints available in the literature for many of these organisms.