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MALDI-TOF MS portrait of emetic and non-emetic Bacillus cereus group members

Krzysztof Fiedoruk1, Tamara Daniluk1, Angelika Fiodor2

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.

Electrophoresis
|May 20, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) rapidly distinguishes emetic Bacillus cereus strains. This proteomic profiling method aids in identifying clinically relevant foodborne illness isolates for public health surveillance.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Proteomics
  • Food Safety

Background:

  • Emetic foodborne intoxications caused by Bacillus cereus are increasing.
  • Rapid and reliable identification of emetic strains is crucial for clinical relevance and public health.
  • Current identification methods may not be sufficiently rapid or specific for emetic strains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of intact cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for differentiating emetic and non-emetic Bacillus cereus isolates.
  • To identify potential protein biomarkers associated with emetic strains using phyloproteomic analysis.
  • To assess the clinical and epidemiological relevance of MALDI-TOF MS for B. cereus identification.

Main Methods:

  • Phyloproteomic clustering of 34 emetic and 88 non-emetic Bacillus isolates using MALDI-TOF MS.
  • Bioinformatic analysis of mass spectra to identify protein variants and mass variations.
  • Gene sequencing to confirm inter-strain polymorphism in identified protein markers.
  • In silico analysis of biomarkers across the B. cereus group using whole-genome sequences.

Main Results:

  • MALDI-TOF MS successfully separated emetic and non-emetic B. cereus isolates at a similarity level of 43%.
  • Emetic isolates exhibited high relatedness (78% similarity), suggesting a distinct proteomic profile.
  • Twenty-seven mass peak classes showed significant variation between emetic and non-emetic subsets, including ribosomal proteins.
  • In silico analysis supported the identified biomarkers across the B. cereus group.

Conclusions:

  • Proteomic profiling by MALDI-TOF MS is a promising, rapid method for pre-screening B. cereus.
  • This technique can effectively identify medically relevant emetic isolates.
  • MALDI-TOF MS has significant potential for epidemiological surveillance of foodborne pathogens.
Keywords:
Bacillus cereus sensu latoDiscriminative proteinsEmetic isolatesMALDI-TOF MSPhylogeny

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