Subtypning av fiskpatogena bakterier, en ny möjlighet genom Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight MALDI-TOF, mass spectrometry

Mass-spectrometry by MALDI-TOF has shown good results for identification of bacterial fish pathogens in a recent CoVetLab project. MALDI-TOF also has the potential for further characterization of strains, for i.e. resolving closely related bacterial species, subspecies, biotypes or serotypes. We will use this feature as a supplement to the current use of MALDI-TOF, for fish pathogens belonging to Aeromonas and Vibrio, identified in the former CoVetLab project as important areas for further developments. We will also investigate if minor differences in ribosomal proteins of Renibacterium salmoninarum can be identified by MALDI-TOF, as a new opportunity for epidemiological tracing.