Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a new tool for characterization of mollicutes

• Published in: Journal of microbiological methods Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 73 - 82
• Main Authors: Melin, Anne-Marie, Allery, Annie, Perromat, Annie, Bébéar, Christiane, Déléris, Gérard, de Barbeyrac, Bertille
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 2004; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Acholeplasma; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Carbohydrates - chemistry; characterization; Cluster Analysis; FT-IR; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Mycoplasma; Phosphates - chemistry; Phylogeny; Principal Component Analysis; Proteins - chemistry; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared - methods; Tenericutes - chemistry; Tenericutes - classification; FT-IR; characterization; mycoplasma; Mollicutes; Mycoplasmatales; Bacteria; Mycoplasma; Mycoplasmataceae
• ISSN: 0167-7012; 1872-8359
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2003.09.020

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is a convenient physico-chemical technique to investigate various cell materials. Bacteria of class Mollicutes, identified by conventional methods, as Mycoplasma, Acholeplasma and Ureaplasma genera were characterized using this method. A data set of 74 independent experiments corresponding to fourteen reference strains of Mollicutes was examined by FT-IR spectroscopy to attempt a spectral characterization based on the biomolecular structures. In addition to the separation of Mollicutes within the lipidic region into five main clusters corresponding to the three phylogenetic groups tested, FT-IR spectroscopy allowed a fine discrimination between strains belonging to the same species by using selective spectral windows, particularly in the 1200–900 cm −1 saccharide range. The results obtained by FT-IR were in good agreement with both taxonomic and phylogenetic classifications of tested strains. Thus, this technique appears to be a useful tool and an accurate mean for a rapid characterization of Mollicutes observed in humans.