title: Rapid identification of bacteria by direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric analysis of whole cells.
abstract: Several characteristic ions were observed during the direct analysis of a variety of both gram-negative and gram-positive intact bacterial cells by the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) technique. The entire process, involving absolutely no sample processing, could be completed in less than ten minutes. A number of specific biomarkers, generated reproducibly for each type of cell from the corresponding mass spectrum, permitted the identification, as well as the distinction, of pathogenic bacteria from their non-pathogenic counterparts. In addition, individual strains of a specific organism could also be differentiated easily. Some of these biomarkers correspond to those observed earlier during the MALDI-MS analysis of protein extracts of the same bacteria. This approach, which can yield valuable data for rapid classification and detection of microorganisms, represents a substantial breakthrough for rapid screening of environmental as well as biological samples.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Edgewood Research, Development and Engineering Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21010-5423, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krishnamurthy
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D015415:Biomarkers; D013045:Species Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers