Pyrolysis-mass spectrometry (Py-MS) for the rapid epidemiological typing of clinically significant bacterial pathogens.
Fresh clinical isolates of Salmonella spp. and Streptococcus pyogenes were analysed by pyrolysis-mass spectrometry (Py-MS). The results formed the basis of mathematically derived characterizations of individual strains and these were compared with the results of phage typing for the salmonellas and M protein typing for the streptococci. Py-MS was shown to be a rapid and reproducible method for inter-strain comparisons, giving evidence of identity and non-identity between strains that agreed well with the results of conventional tests. Py-MS has potential value as a rapid, relatively inexpensive and highly discriminatory method of epidemiological analysis in bacterial disease.
Department of Microbiology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
R
R
Freeman
M
M
Goodfellow
F K
FK
Gould
S J
SJ
Hudson
N F
NF
Lightfoot
D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D006358:Hot Temperature; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D012475:Salmonella / Q000145:classification*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000145:classification*