| Title: | Characterization of the Clostridium difficile volatile metabolome using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry |
| Author(s): | Rees CA; Shen A; Hill JE; |
| Address: | "Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA; Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Electronic address: jane.e.hill@dartmouth.edu" |
| Journal Title: | J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jchromb.2016.11.009 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1873-376X (Electronic) 1570-0232 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Clostridium difficile is a bacterial pathogen capable of causing life-threatening infections of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by severe diarrhea. Exposure to certain classes of antibiotics, advanced age, and prolonged hospitalizations are known risk factors for infection by this organism. Anecdotally, healthcare providers have reported that they can smell C. difficile infections in their patients, and several studies have suggested that there may indeed be an olfactory signal associated with C. difficile-associated diarrhea. In this study, we sought to characterize the volatile molecules produced by an epidemic strain of C. difficile (R20291) using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS). We report on a set of 77 volatile compounds, of which 59 have not previously been associated with C. difficile growth in vitro. Amongst these reported compounds, we detect both straight-chain and branched-chain carboxylic acids, as well as p-cresol, which have been the primary foci of C. difficile volatile metabolomic studies to-date. We additionally report on novel sulfur-containing and carbonyl-containing molecules that have not previously been reported for C. difficile. With the identification of these novel C. difficile-associated volatile compounds, we demonstrate the superior resolution and sensitivity of GCxGC-TOFMS relative to traditional GC-MS" |
| Keywords: | Carboxylic Acids/*analysis/isolation & purification Clostridioides difficile/growth & development/*metabolism Cresols/analysis/isolation & purification Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/*methods *Metabolome Volatile Organic Compounds/*analysis/isolatio; |
| Notes: | "MedlineRees, Christiaan A Shen, Aimee Hill, Jane E eng Netherlands 2016/11/18 J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2016 Dec 15; 1039:8-16. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2016.11.009. Epub 2016 Nov 9" |
