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Identification of Rare Bacterial Pathogens by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS
Published on: July 11, 2016
Identification of Staphylococcus intermedius Group by MALDI-TOF MS
Paola Decristophoris1, Amy Fasola, Cinzia Benagli
1Cantonal Institute of Microbiology, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland. paola.decristophoris@ti.ch
Systematic and Applied Microbiology
|February 9, 2011
Summary
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) accurately identifies Staphylococcus intermedius Group bacteria. This proteomic method offers a reliable alternative to molecular techniques for rapid bacterial identification.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
- Proteomics
Background:
- The Staphylococcus intermedius Group (SIG) comprises coagulase-positive bacteria commonly found in animals.
- Current identification of SIG relies on molecular methods, which can be time-consuming.
- There is a need for rapid and accurate diagnostic tools for SIG identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the suitability of MALDI-TOF MS for identifying SIG bacteria.
- To compare the performance of MALDI-TOF MS against partial hsp60 gene sequencing.
- To assess the sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of MALDI-TOF MS for SIG identification.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 69 SIG strains (S. intermedius, S. pseudintermedius, S. delphini) using MALDI-TOF MS.
- Identification confirmation via partial hsp60 gene sequencing.
- Calculation of sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, and Cohen's kappa coefficient for MALDI-TOF MS.
Main Results:
- MALDI-TOF MS demonstrated high sensitivity for S. intermedius (0.95) and high specificity for S. intermedius and S. delphini (1.0).
- Overall efficiency ranged from 0.88 (S. pseudintermedius, S. delphini) to 0.99 (S. intermedius).
- Almost perfect agreement (kappa=0.96) was observed between MALDI-TOF MS and hsp60 sequencing for S. intermedius.
Conclusions:
- MALDI-TOF MS is a valuable and reliable tool for rapid and accurate identification of SIG bacteria.
- The proteomic approach offers a significant advancement over traditional molecular methods.
- MALDI-TOF MS provides efficient and precise identification crucial for veterinary diagnostics.
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