Automated comparative sequence analysis by base-specific cleavage and mass spectrometry for nucleic acid-based microbial typing.

ABSTRACT: Traditional microbial typing technologies for the characterization of pathogenic microorganisms and monitoring of their global spread are often difficult to standardize and poorly portable, and they lack sufficient ease of use, throughput, and automation. To overcome these problems, we introduce the use of comparative sequencing by MALDI-TOF MS for automated high-throughput microbial DNA sequence analysis. Data derived from the public multilocus sequence typing (MLST) database (http://pubmlst.org/neisseria) established a reference set of expected peak patterns. A model pathogen, Neisseria meningitidis, was used to validate the technology and explore its applicability as an alternative to dideoxy sequencing. One hundred N. meningitidis samples were typed by comparing MALDI-TOF MS fingerprin

SUBMITTER: Honisch C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1890566 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature