Use of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and a Custom Database to Characterize Bacteria Indigenous to a Unique Cave Environment (Kartchner Caverns, AZ, USA)Lin Zhang 1, Katleen Vranckx 2, Koen Janssens 2, Todd R. Sandrin 1
1School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Arizona State University, 2Applied Maths NV
This work details procedures for rapid identification of bacteria using MALDI-TOF MS. The identification procedures include spectrum acquisition, database construction, and follow up analyses. Two identification methods, similarity coefficient-based and biomarker-based methods, are presented.