MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and bacterial taxonomy

In the few years since the first reports that characteristic proteins could be desorbed directly from bacterial cells using MALDI, the use of mass spe ctrometry to investigate bacteria, bacterial proteins and the bacterial pro teome has advanced rapidly. The effects of experimental parameters are unde rstood sufficiently that reproducible spectra can be obtained in different laboratories and bacteria can be characterized by genus, species or strain. Specific biomarker proteins have been identified and the feasibility of us ing reference spectra, reference cultures or protein databases for taxonomi c identification of bacteria by MALDI-MS has been demonstrated. (C) 2000 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.