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Discrimination of Human Pathogen Clostridium Species Especially of the Heterogeneous C. sporogenes and C. botulinum by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

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Abstract

Clostridium species cause several local and systemic diseases. Conventional identification of these microorganisms is in part laborious, not always reliable, time consuming or does not always distinguish different species, i.e., C. botulinum and C. sporogenes. All in, there is a high interest to find out a reliable, powerful and rapid method to identify Clostridium spp. not only on genus but also on species level. The aim of the present study was to identify Clostridium spp. strains and also to find differences and metabolic groups of C. botulinum by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A total of 123 strains of Clostridium spp. (C. botulinum, n = 40, C. difficile, n = 11, C. tetani, n = 11, C. sordellii, n = 20, C. sporogenes, n = 18, C. innocuum, n = 10, C. perfringens, n = 13) were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS in combination with methods of multivariate statistical analysis. MALDI-TOF MS analysis in combination with methods of multivariate statistical analysis was able to discriminate between the different tested Clostridium spp., even between species which are closely related and difficult to differentiate by traditional methods, i.e., C. sporogenes and C. botulinum. Furthermore, the method was able to separate the different metabolic groups of C. botulinum. Especially, E gene-positive C. botulinum strains are clearly distinguishable from the other species but also from those producing other toxin types. Thus, MALDI-TOF MS represents a reliable and above all quick method for identification of cultivated Clostridium species.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge gifts of strains for this study from Grosse-Herrenthey, previously Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany and B. and M. Dorner, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany.

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Author notes

  1. Reiner Schaumann, Kevin Dallacker-Losensky—Equal contribution as first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Medical Microbiology and Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Reiner Schaumann, Christiane Rosenkranz, Catalina S. Stîngu & Arne C. Rodloff

  2. Department of Trauma Surgery and Orthopedics, Reconstructive and Septic Surgery, and Sports Traumatology, German Armed Forces Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany

    Kevin Dallacker-Losensky

  3. German Armed Forces Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany

    Gelimer H. Genzel

  4. Institute of Biochemistry, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Wolfgang Schellenberger & Klaus Eschrich

  5. Deutsches Beratungszentrum für Hygiene (BZH GmbH), Freiburg, Germany

    Sebastian Schulz-Stübner

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  1. Reiner Schaumann
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Correspondence to Kevin Dallacker-Losensky.

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Schaumann, R., Dallacker-Losensky, K., Rosenkranz, C. et al. Discrimination of Human Pathogen Clostridium Species Especially of the Heterogeneous C. sporogenes and C. botulinum by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry. Curr Microbiol 75, 1506–1515 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-018-1552-7

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