Databases for Specific Bacteria and Fungi (molds)

On request, microorganisms not included as standard in the SARAMIS database can be covered with custom reference strains.

The construction of such customer-specific databases is an alternative for identification of bacteria for which identification is beyond the scope of classical methods (e.g., poorly investigated taxa or fully unknown environmental bacteria).

A CTI-pilot project, started in July 2010, has already demonstrated that MALDI-TOF MS allows the identification of Pantoea down to the species level. Pantoea is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae.  CTI project, Pantoea publication

Identification and Clustering of Pantoea spp.

Pantoea spp. represents a composite taxon of epiphytic bacteria that includes several commerzialized strains useful for biological control of plant diseases. However, P. agglomerans has been described as an opportunistic human pathogen, and this raises issues for the utilization of beneficial isolates according to biosafety regulations. False classification of environmental strains, inadequate biochemical identification, uncertainty regarding current taxonomy and excessive numbers of 16S rRNA sequences incorrectly assigned to P. agglomerans in public databases makes MALDI-TOF MS whole cell analysis the method of choice to study this group and related taxa. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897409/figure/f3/

Streptomycin Resistance in a Commercial Biocontrol Strain

We were also readily able to identify the lysine to arginine change in the ribosomal protein S12 due to the point mutation that confers streptomycin resistance in the commercial biocontrol strain P. vagans C9-1S. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897409/figure/f7/  

Interested in protein analysis?

Further taxa are under investigation, like Xanthomomas spp., Dickeya "solani", Agrobacterium spp., and  Rhibobium spp.
 

See the following presentation (.pdf, 2.58 Mo) given by Dr. Joël Pothier: MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry application for rapid phylogenetic analysis and identification of plant-health relevant bacteria.