Screening with mass spectrometry for mycobacteria prior to cardiothoracic surgery

A method for detecting the presence or absence of a Mycobacterium in a sample, the method comprising:

• a. admixing a sample with a matrix solution comprising a super 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid matrix suspended in ethanol to provide an admixture, subjecting the admixture to mass spectrometry analysis in the positive ion mode and generating a mass spectrum output;
• and
• b. detecting one or more peak set in said mass spectrum output;
• wherein said one or more peak set is selected from:
• i. a second peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of from 1220-1223 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1459-1462 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1739-1742 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1741-1744 m/z;
• ii. a first peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1256-1259 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1284-1287 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1402-1405 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1430-1433 m/z;
• iii. a third peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1242-1245 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1280-1283 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1294-1297 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1923-1926 m/z;
• iv. a fourth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1012-1015 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1121-1124 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1122-1125 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1123-1126 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1149-1152 m/z, and one or more further defined peak having a m/z of from 1021-1024 m/z, 1131-1134 m/z, 1134-1137 m/z, 1147-1150 m/z, 1150-1153 m/z, 1198-1201 m/z, 1878-1881 m/z, 1880-1883 m/z, 2131-2134 m/z, 2275-2278 m/z, 2553-2556 m/z, or a combination thereof;
• v. a fifth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1311-1314 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1339-1342 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1474-1477 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1488-1491 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1823-1826 m/z;
• vi. a sixth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1242-1245 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1256-1259 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1270-1273 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1318-1321 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1346-1349 m/z;
• vii. a seventh peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1294-1297 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1296-1299 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1308-1311 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1322-1325 m/z;
• viii. an eighth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1370-1373 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 1412-1415 m/z;
• ix. a ninth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 2129-2132 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 2171-2174 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 2247-2250 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 2261-2264 m/z;
• x. a tenth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 2273-2276 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 2275-2278 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 2551-2554 m/z, and a peak having a m/z of from 2553-2556 m/z;
• xi. an eleventh peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having a m/z of from 1339-1342 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1353-1356 m/z, a peak having a m/z of from 1367-1370 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1381-1384 m/z;
• xii. a twelfth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1242-1245 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1256-1259 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1270-1273 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1298-1301 m/z, and one or more further defined peak having a m/z of from 1228-1231 m/z, 1252-1255 m/z, 1254-1257 m/z, 1258-1261 m/z, 1268-1271 m/z, 1280-1283 m/z, 1282-1285 m/z, 1284-1287 m/z, 1286-1289 m/z, 1288-1291 m/z, 1294-1297 m/z, 1296-1299 m/z, 1308-1311 m/z, 1310-1313 m/z, 1314-1317 m/z, 1322-1325 m/z, 1324-1327 m/z, 1336-1339 m/z, or a combination thereof;
• xiii. a thirteenth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1458-1461 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 2718-2721 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 2760-2763 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 2788-2791 m/z;
• xiv. a fourteenth peak set comprising at least two, three, four, or five defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1172-1175 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1174-1177 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1883-1886 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1909-1912 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1911-1914 m/z;
• xv. a fifteenth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1202-1205 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1224-1227 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1226-1229 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1240-1243 m/z;
• xvi. a sixteenth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1318-1321 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1332-1335 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1346-1349 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1360-1363 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1374-1377 m/z;
• xvii. a seventeenth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1308-1311 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1310-1313 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1324-1327 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1338-1341 m/z;
• xviii. an eighteenth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1012-1015 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1028-1031 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1697-1700 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1698-1701 m/z;
• xix. a nineteenth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1226-1229 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1240-1243 m/z;
• xx. a twentieth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1414-1417 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1443-1446 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1445-1448 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1515-1518 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1543-1546 m/z;
• xxi. a twenty-first peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1036-1039 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1259-1262 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1374-1377 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 2497-2500 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 2835-2838 m/z;
• xxii. a twenty-second peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1057-1060 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1498-1501 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1512-1515 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1526-1529 m/z;
• xxiii. a twenty-third peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1432-1435 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1446-1449 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1460-1463 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1474-1477 m/z;
• xxiv. a twenty-fourth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1242-1245 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1256-1259 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1270-1273 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1284-1287 m/z;
• and
• xxv. a twenty-fifth peak set comprising at least two defined peaks selected from:
• a peak having an m/z of from 1242-1245 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1256-1259 m/z, a peak having an m/z of from 1270-1273 m/z, and a peak having an m/z of from 1284-1287 m/z;
• and
• wherein the presence of said one or more peak set is indicative of the presence of a Mycobacterium;
• and
• wherein the absence of said one or more peak set is indicative of the absence of a Mycobacterium.