title: Direct bacterial profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for identification of pathogenic Neisseria.
abstract: The present study investigates the suitability of direct bacterial profiling as a tool for the identification and subtyping of pathogenic Neisseria. The genus Neisseria includes two human pathogens, Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, as well as several nonpathogenic Neisseria species. Here, a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry profiling protocol was optimized using a laboratory strain of E. coli DH5alpha to guarantee high quality and reproducible results. Subsequently, mass spectra for both laboratory and clinical strains of N. gonorrhoeae, N. meningitidis, and several nonpathogenic Neisseria species were collected. Significant interspecies differences but little intraspecies diversity were revealed by means of a visual inspection and bioinformatics examination using the MALDI BioTyper software. Cluster analysis successfully separated mass spectra collected from three groups that corresponded to N. gonorrhoeae, N. meningitidis, and nonpathogenic Neisseria isolates. Requiring only one bacterial colony for testing and using a fast and easy measuring protocol, this approach represents a powerful tool for the rapid identification of pathogenic Neisseria and can be adopted for other microorganisms.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Medicine, Russian Federation Health Ministry, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address: ilinaEN@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Elena N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Ilina
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Medicine, Russian Federation Health Ministry, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexandra D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Borovskaya
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Medicine, Russian Federation Health Ministry, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Maja M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Malakhova
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Medicine, Russian Federation Health Ministry, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Vereshchagin
authors.affiliation: Central Research Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Anna A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kubanova
authors.affiliation: I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Kruglov
authors.affiliation: Infectious Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Tatyana S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Svistunova
authors.affiliation: Infectious Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Anaida O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Gazarian
authors.affiliation: Bruker Daltonik GmbH, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.affiliation: Bruker Daltonik GmbH, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kostrzewa
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Medicine, Russian Federation Health Ministry, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Vadim M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Govorun
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009343:Neisseria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*