Identification of Burkholderia pseudomallei by Use of the Vitek Mass Spectrometer

• Published in: Journal of clinical microbiology Vol. 57; no. 5
• Main Authors: Gassiep, I, Armstrong, M, Norton, R E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 01-05-2019
• Subjects: Bacteriology; diagnostics; Burkholderia pseudomallei; melioidosis; matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization; mass spectrometer
• ISSN: 0095-1137; 1098-660X
• DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00081-19

is the causative agent of melioidosis. This condition most often presents as pneumonia and bacteremia, with mortality rates of 9% to 70%. Therefore, early identification of this organism may aid in directing appropriate management. This study aimed to use the Vitek matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometer to create a spectrum for the rapid identification of
Spectra from 85 isolate cultures were acquired using the Vitek mass spectrometer research mode. A SuperSpectrum was created using peak matching and subsequently activated for analysis of organism identification. All 85 isolates were correctly identified as
A total of 899 spectra were analyzed and demonstrated a specificity of 99.8%. Eighty-one clinical isolates were used, of which 10 were neuromelioidosis, and no discernible spectrum difference was appreciated. Spectrum acquisition from a single spot was only successful in 374/899 (41%) of isolates. This increased to 100% when 3 spots of the same extract were analyzed. The Vitek mass spectrometer can be used for the rapid identification of
with a high level of specificity.