US 2010/0248298 A1 · MASS SPECTROMETRIC IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS IN COMPLEX SAMPLES

Abstract

Microorganisms are identified as present in a complex sample or mixed culture by acquiring a mass spectrum of the sample and comparing it to combination spectra, each of which is formed by combining at least two reference mass spectra of known microorganisms. Microorganisms corresponding to the reference spectra used to form the combination spectrum are identified as present in the sample if that combination spectrum exhibits a better match with the sample mass spectrum than any one of reference mass spectra used to form that combination spectrum. It is also possible to identify microorganisms by forming a difference spectrum by subtracting a reference mass spectrum from the sample mass spectrum and comparing the difference spectrum to the reference mass spectra.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method for identifying microorganisms present in a sample, comprising:

(a) acquiring a mass spectrum of the sample;
(b) comparing the sample mass spectrum to each of a plurality of reference mass spectra, wherein each reference mass spectrum is a mass spectrum of a known microorganism;
(c) selecting as a best set of reference mass spectra, those reference mass spectra that are found to most closely match the sample spectrum in the comparisons in step (b);
(d) combining reference mass spectra of microorganisms of different species in the best set of reference mass spectra to form combination spectra;
and
(e) comparing the sample mass spectrum to the combination spectra.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Mass spectrometric identification of microorganisms in complex samples

Life of this patent

Mass spectrometric identification of microorganisms in complex samples

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16