title: Mass spectrometry applied to the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and biomarker discovery.
abstract: An adequate and effective tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis system has been identified by the World Health Organization as a priority in the fight against this disease. Over the years, several methods have been developed to identify the bacillus, but bacterial culture remains one of the most affordable methods for most countries. For rapid and accurate identification, however, it is more feasible to implement molecular techniques, taking advantage of the availability of public databases containing protein sequences. Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an interesting technique for the identification of TB. Here, we review some of the most widely employed methods for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis and present an update on MS applied for the identification of mycobacterial species.
authors.affiliation: CONACyT, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas, México.
authors.forename: Y
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1068-603X
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: López-Hernández
authors.affiliation: CONACyT, Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Patiño-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biociencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: García-Orta
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biociencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pinos-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: 
  Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  ; biomarker; diagnosis; identification; mass spectrometry