Abstract
Background
The accurate identification of carbapenem resistance mechanisms is decisive for the appropriate selection of antibiotic regimens. Numerous methods can detect carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant bacteria (CPCR). However, non-CPCR (NCPCR) are routinely assumed to display porin loss as a diagnosis of exclusion. No further confirmatory tests are performed since the gold standard (sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, SDS–PAGE) is laborious and time consuming. We propose a test for rapid and easy detection of porin loss by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).
Methods
Clinical meropenem-resistant Enterobacterales strains (10 CPCR, 10 NCPCR) and control strains recommended by EUCAST (5 carbapenemase-producing, one with porin loss, one-negative control) were analyzed. Membrane proteins were extracted by successive centrifugation of bacterial suspensions (McFarland 0.5) and addition of ethanol, formic acid and acetonitrile. MALDI-TOF MS of the protein extracts was performed on a 96-spot target (Bruker Daltonics, Germany). Peaks between 35 and 40 kDa were analyzed for the presence of porins and compared with the bands observed in the SDS–PAGE of the protein extracts.
Results
Within the molecular weight range of 35–40 kDa, the MALDI-TOF MS-based method revealed peaks in all CPCR isolates corresponding to those observed in the carbapenemase-producing control strains. In contrast, the control strain with porin loss as well as all CNCR isolates showed a lower quantity of peaks in this range. All peaks observed correlated with the bands observed in the SDS–PAGE of the protein extracts at the corresponding molecular weight (Figure 1).
Conclusion
Yielding results that reliably correspond to the current gold standard, we propose a method for accelerated detection of porin loss as an alternative to the diagnosis of exclusion usually made in routine settings. With a processing time of approximately 20 minutes, the method can be easily implemented in the clinical setting. Applying this MALDI-TOF MS-based approach, valuable information will be provided about a resistance mechanism that otherwise remains unexplained.
Disclosures
All authors: No reported disclosures.
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