Abstract
Carbohydrate profiling by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for the identification and detection of bacteria. Its increasing applicability in the microbiology laboratory is illustrated by three examples. In the first, differentiation of legionellae by their sugar composition was determined with alditol acetate derivatization followed by selected- ion monitoring. In the second example, a carbohydrate pyrolysis product from Streptococcus agalactiae was used to differentiate group B streptococci from other Lancefield groups after direct sampling from culture plates. The third example employed the carbohydrates rhamnose and muramic acid as chemical markers for the direct detection of bacterial cell wall degradation products in mammalian tissues. The analysis of carbohydrate markers for bacteria by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has great potential for use in clinical identification of isolated bacteria as well as in the rapid diagnosis of bacterial infections without prior culture.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
