Intact Staphylococcus Enterotoxin SEB from Culture Supernatant Detected by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

Routine identification of pathogens by MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry) is based on the fingerprint of intracellular proteins. This work evaluated the use of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of extracellular pathogen factors. A Staphylococcus aureus isolate from a food contaminant was exponentially grown in liquid cultures. Secreted proteins were collected using methanol⁻ chloroform precipitation and analysed by MALDI-TOF MS. A main peak m/z 28,250 was demonstrated, which was identified as S.aureus enterotoxin type B (SEB) by using the pure authentic SEB reference of 28.2 kDa and by amino acid sequence analysis. SEB was also detected in this intact form following pasteurization and cooking treatments. Further application of the elaborated MALDI-TOF MS protocol resulted in the detection of SEA at m/z 27,032 and SEC at m/z 27,629. In conclusion, a simple sample preparation from S.aureus cultures and an easy-to-perform identification of pathogen factors SE in intact form represents a promising next-generation application of MALDI-TOF MS.