BACKGROUND:Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSc) causes chronic infection in patients with concomitant structural changes in the respiratory tract, which is especially important for patients with cystic fibrosis. To isolate an MABSc culture from clinical material, a variety of nutrient media are used. For species determination of microorganisms isolated on these media, additional identification methods are used, for example, polymerase chain reaction, sequencing, or mass spectrometry. The latter method is relatively easy to implement but requires improvement, due to the identification inaccuracy of nontuberculosis mycobacterias in general. Consequently, a set of nutrient media may be important for subsequent identification by mass spectrometry. METHODS:The study was conducted on 64 strains of MABSc representatives: 56 strains were obtained from patients with cystic fibrosis and 8 strains from patients with pulmonary pathology unrelated to cystic fibrosis. The obtained MABSc strains were transplanted to the universal chromogenic medium and the selective medium for the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) isolation. Species identification was carried out by mass spectrometry based on matrix-activated laser time-of-flight desorption/ionization (MALDI-ToF MS). Microbial identification is based on a comparison of the obtained mass spectra with reference spectra from the database. Microorganisms were identified based on the coincidence degree (Score value). Sample preparation for microbial identification by mass spectrometry was carried out by an extended direct application method. Fragments of the rpoB and hsp65 genes with lengths of 752 bp and 441 bp, respectively, were used as molecular markers for subspecific identification of MABSc strains. RESULTS:A comparison of the peaks obtained after mass spectrometry of MABSc strains isolated on the studied nutrient media showed significant differences between these indicators selective medium for the BCC isolation with the supplement of iron polymaltose hydroxide (III) and universal chromogenic medium (P < 0.001) and selective medium for the BCC isolation with universal chromogenic medium (P < 0.001). Twenty-five strains of MABSc representatives were sequenced: results of subspecies determination in strains isolated on the universal chromogenic medium coincided with the results sequencing in 13 (86.6%) strains out of 15. CONCLUSION:MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry allows microbial identification in a short time and with minimal cost, but it does not yet allow the proper identification of the subspecies of certain microbial groups, such as MABSc. Cultivation methods need optimization and new approaches to the extraction process of the bacterial protein fraction.

Background: In patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), representatives of the fast-growing Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSc) are often distinguished, but the culture of the material taken from such patients increases the growth time. We analyzed the terms of cultivation of MABSc representatives on dense nutrient media and also evaluated the productivity of a modified nutrient medium based on agar for the isolation of Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC). Methods: Sixty-four strains of MABSc isolated from patients with CF and suspected tuberculosis were analyzed. The material from the patients was cultured on a universal chromogenic medium, 5% blood agar, yolk-salt agar, selective medium for isolation of BCC, and Löwenstein–Jensen medium. The cultures were incubated for 5 days (37°C, aerobic conditions), after for 23 days (28°C, aerobic conditions). The productivity of the developed nutrient medium was evaluated by the number of cells that gave visible growth after culturing 0.1 mL of a bacterial suspension of 103 CFU/mL. Results: 76.8% of the strains grew in a 2-week period, and 23.2% of the strains were obtained at a later date from 18 to 28 days (average: 21.23 days). The modified medium with a concentration of 240 mg of iron (III) polymaltose hydroxide proved to be the most optimal for the isolation of MABSc. Conclusion: When using a chromogenic medium for culture material from patients with CF, it is necessary to extend incubation up to 28 days to increase the probability of MABSc isolation. The modified BCC medium showed a good selectivity result but required further investigation.

Background:The nutrient medium effects on the quality of the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectra. The standard library includes spectra of microorganisms of the family Mycobacteriaceae grown on the Lowenstein-Jensen and Middlebrook Media. There are new methods for culturing microorganisms from this group, including inoculation on chromogenic media. Methods:The study included 240 strains of NTM isolated from patients during tuberculosis examination. The inoculation of the biological material was carried out on solid culture media of Lowenstein-Jensen and universal chromogenic media. Identification of bacteria from both types of media was performed by MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry (Bruker Daltonik GmbH, Germany). Analysis of protein spectra was performed. Results:For all strains, the spectra revealed both coinciding peaks (regardless of the cultivation medium) and significant differences, including the complete absence of some peaks depending on the medium. The results of a greater divergence of peaks in mass and intensity were obtained for slow-growing species than for fast-growing species. For all analyzed cultures, the number of peaks in the mass spectra was significantly higher when cultivating on a universal chromogenic medium than on a Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Conclusions:The use for NTM cultivation of a universal chromogenic medium makes it possible to obtain acceptable identification results by MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry using a standard library.

Background:Over the past 10 years, the clinical importance of opportunistic bacteria of the order Actinomycetales has increased significantly. While many problems for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex have been solved, for nontuberculous mycobacteria, some questions remain open. These pathogens have a number of structural features that allow them to persist in the external environment for a long time. Methods:The main inclusion criteria were cultural characteristics in assessing the growth of microorganisms on solid egg media. If nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) growth was detected, identification signs were carried out using the DNA hybridization method. Subsequently, these cultures were identified using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry method. In case of obtaining unacceptable results of identification from primary inoculations, re-identification to obtain pure cultures was carried out after transferring the material from primary media to agar media: 5% blood agar and universal chromogenic medium. When re-identifying isolated cultures using MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry, all isolated cultures were analyzed, regardless of whether they belonged to the NTM group or not. Results:DNA hybridization, which accounted for 59.5% of the total number of cultures included in the study, performed species identification of 188 strains. Using MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry, 345 strains were identified. Conclusion:The use of methods based on DNA hybridization makes it possible to identify quite accurately some of the most common NTM species. MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry is an important technique to allow species identification of most Actinomycetales. However, algorithms to standardize methods for their isolation from clinical material are needed.