PCR-electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry for detection and identification of pathogenic microorganisms from blood culture

PCR-electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry for detection and identification of pathogenic microorganisms from blood culture (Vasilyeva N.V. (director of the institute), Polischouk A.G. (head of the laboratory), Rudneva M.V. (junior scientific collaborator), Daks A.A. (scientific collaborator), Shurpickaya O.A. (head of the laboratory), Zajceva M.V.(student)
Kashkin Research Institute of Medical Mycology, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov; St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University (Department of medical physics and bioengineering), St. Petersburg, Russia

©Collective of authors, 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the PLEX-ID platform based on PCR amplification coupled with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-TOF MS) for detection, identification, and determination of the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms in blood specimens obtained from patients with suspected bloodstream infections. A total of 154 whole blood cultures (74 positive and 80 negative determined by the BacT/Alert 3D instrument, bioMérieux) collected during 3 month period were evaluated using PLEX-ID and the results were compared with those obtained by microbiology culture. PLEX-ID and microbiology culture reached an agreement of 90,8% at the genus and 76% at the species levels in bacterial and candidal identification. Multiple organisms were detected in 10 out of 74 (13.5%) specimens by PLEX-ID, and in 4 (4%) by culture. Time required for bacteria and Candida species identification decreased at least for 24 h and for 48 h, respectively, when using PLEX-ID platform.

Key words: blood culture, PCR/ESI-TOF MS, PLEX-ID, septic patients

Contact: Anna G. Polischouk, Тel.: (812) 303-51-40