Spectrometric analysis of microbes

Apparatus comprising:

• a device for automatically sampling a target comprising or consisting of a tissue sample, wherein said device comprises a first device for generating smoke, aerosol or vapour from said target;
• a device for adding a matrix to said aerosol, smoke or vapour, wherein said matrix is an organic solvent;
• a collision surface located within a vacuum chamber of a spectrometer, wherein in use said aerosol, smoke or vapour or analyte therein is caused to impact upon said collision surface so as to generate a plurality of analyte ions;
• a mass analyser and/or ion mobility analyser for analysing said analyte ions in order to obtain spectrometric data;
• and
• a processor adapted to analyse said spectrometric data in order to detect necrosis in said target.