MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as a potential tool for Trichomonas vaginalis identification

Abstract

BackgroundTrichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan causing trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted human infection, with around 276.4 million new cases estimated by World Health Organization. Culture is the gold standard method for the diagnosis of T. vaginalis infection. Recently, immunochromatographic assays as well as PCR assays for the detection of T. vaginalis antigen or DNA, respectively, have been also available. Although the well-known genome sequence of T. vaginalis has made possible the application of proteomic studies, few data are available about the overall proteomic expression profiling of T. vaginalis. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential application of MALDI-TOF MS as a new tool for the identification of T. vaginalis.MethodsTwenty-one isolates were analysed by MALDI-TOF MS after the creation of a Main Spectrum Profile (MSP) from a T. vaginalis reference strain (G3) and its subsequent supplementation in the Bruker Daltonics database, not including any profile of protozoa. This was achieved after the development of a new identification method created by modifying the range setting (6–10 kDa) for the MALDI-TOF MS analysis in order to exclude the overlapping of peaks derived from the culture media used in this study.ResultsTwo MSP reference spectra were created in 2 different range: 3–15 kDa (standard range setting) and 6–10 kDa (new range setting). Both MSP spectra were deposited in the MALDI BioTyper database for further identification of additional T. vaginalis strains. All the 21 strains analysed in this study were correctly identified by using the new identification method.ConclusionsIn this study it was demonstrated that changes in the MALDI-TOF MS standard parameters usually used to identify bacteria and fungi allowed the identification of the protozoan T. vaginalis. This study shows the usefulness of MALDI-TOF MS in the reliable identification of microorganism grown on complex liquid media such as the protozoan T. vaginalis, on the basis of the proteic profile and not on the basis of single markers, by using a “new range setting” different from that developed for bacteria and fungi.

Bacillus Classification Based on Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry—Effects of Culture Conditions

“…Previously, a variation of this strategy was used with Trichomonas vaginalis , a parasitic protozoan. The analytical range was modified from m/z 3000–15000 to m/z 6000–10000 to exclude the non-relevant peaks of T. vaginalis and the identification of the protozoa was thus strengthened 35 .…”

Utility of the Rapid Antigen Detection Test E. histolytica Quik Chek for the Diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica Infection in Nonendemic Situations

“…For example, the E. HISTOLYTICA QUIK CHEK test is an FDA-approved rapid test based on immunochromatography, and the utility of this test has been proven in several studies performed in developing countries [12][13][14]. However, reports from developed countries are limited [15].…”

MALDI-TOF MS Profiling-Advances in Species Identification of Pests, Parasites, and Vectors

“…Likewise, the differentiation of E. histolytica and E. dispar was demonstrated after establishment of the reference spectra and discriminating peaks were matched with the proteins identified through SDS-PAGE MALDI TOF MS based protein identification approach (Calderaro et al, 2015 ). Bruker BioTyper based database compilation were also reported for the food nematode Trichinella (Mayer-Scholl et al, 2016 ), Trichomonas vaginalis (Calderaro et al, 2016 ), Acanthamoeba spp. (Del Chierico et al, 2016 ) using a database for direct identification of trypanosomatids (Avila et al, 2016 ).…”