CSIRO PUBLISHING - Australasian Plant Pathology

MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry can be used for detection of pathogenic microorganisms in soil

C. Siricord ^A ^B and P. A. O’Brien ^A ^C

^A School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
^B Current Address: Jabatan Kimia Malaysia, Jalan Sultan, 46661 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
^C Corresponding author. Email: p.obrien@murdoch.edu.au

Abstract

MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is a useful technique for the identification of microorganisms. Here we investigate whether it can be used for the identification of organisms in soil. The results show that MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry can be used for analysis of DNA from soil. Reproducible results were obtained with DNA extracted from soil containing a range of mycelial concentrations.

Australasian Plant Pathology 37(6) 543–545 doi:10.1071/AP08052
Submitted: 4 April 2008 Accepted: 11 June 2008 Published: 25 September 2008