부산대학교 도서관

Rapid identification of Bacillusspores has attracted great interest in the medical and forensic communities due to the highly pathogenic nature of certain Bacillusspecies and its potential application in bioweapons. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of rapid and reliable identification of several Bacillusspp. (B. subtilis, B. cereus, B. megaterium, B. pumilus, and B. sphaericus) using online MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry combined with lipid profiling. The bacterial cultures in liquid medium were extracted with methanol and chloroform, and the extracts were aerosolized into droplets and immediately analyzed with an online MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer. Results showed that phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), and diglycosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) were present in the mass spectra, as alkali metal adducts. The unique lipid profiles obtained from these Bacillusspp. allowed us to differentiate between them. The reliability and reproducibility of the rapid identification method for Bacilluswere tested under different experimental conditions. An alternative online chemotaxonomic method for bacterial identification is demonstrated.