Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany, announced extension of the microbial coverage of the MALDI Biotyper system for mass spectrometry-based microbial identification at the ECCMID (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) in London. New reference libraries and protocols for mycobacteria and multicellular fungi will extend the microbial coverage of the MALDI Biotyper.
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry enables molecular identification, and taxonomical classification of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved using proteomic fingerprinting. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product safety and quality control.
Dr. Markus Kostrzewa, Vice President for Clinical Mass Spectrometry of Bruker Daltonics, pointed out in the press release:
“For both groups, we had to establish reliable sample preparation methods first, before we started to build up the respective reference libraries in order to ensure the identification quality that our customers expect from the MALDI Biotyper. In both cases the cooperation with our multinational consortia of collaboration partners has proven to be an important success factor. For mycobacteria, we had to develop the combination of a secure inactivation protocol and subsequent reliable cell disruption, using a silica-bead protocol to disrupt the cell wall and extract the proteins. This ensures the generation of highest quality reference entries for almost one hundred otherwise difficult to measure mycobacterial species. This new MALDI Biotyper workflow is suitable for mycobacteria grown on solid media, e.g. Löwenstein-Jensen medium, or in liquid culture using the BD MGIT system. For fungi, the major challenge was to prevent sporulation, as different stages of sporulation may have an impact on the resulting proteomic profiles. Subsequently, we have built up the fungi library from very well characterized fungi collections from the laboratories of our fungi consortium.”
Press release: Bruker Expands MALDI Biotyper Capabilities with New Protocols and Reference Libraries for Mycobacteria and Multicellular Fungi…
Product page: MALDI Biotyper…