Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and atmospheric pressure photoionization for simultaneous mass spectrometric analysis of microbial respiratory ubiquinones and menaquinones.

An atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) source and an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source were compared for the selective detection of microbial respiratory ubiquinone and menaquinone isoprenologues using tandem mass spectrometry. Ionization source- and compound mass-dependent parameters were optimized individually for both sources, using the available quinone standards. Detection levels for the two ion sources were determined with ubiquinone-6 (UQ6) and menaquinone-4 (MK4, vitamin K2) standards using flow injection analysis and selected reaction monitoring (SRM).

Flash detection/identification of pathogens, bacterial spores and bioterrorism agent biomarkers from clinical and environmental matrices.

We propose to develop an integrated rapid, semiportable, prototype point microbial detection/identification system for clinical specimens that is also capable of differentiating microbial bioterrorism attacks from threats or hoaxes by defining the pathogen. The system utilizes "flash" extraction/analytical system capable of detection/identification of microbes from environmental and clinical matrices. The system couples demonstrated technologies to provide quantitative analysis of lipid biomarkers of microbes including spores in a system with near-single cell (amol/microl) sensitivity.