The
BSI-MAS is a microbial identification service in the laboratory
of Professor
Joseph Kloepper. The service has been in operation since
1991 and is performed by John McInroy. The BSI-MAS has the
capability of identifying a diverse selection of microbes
including environmental and clinical eubacteria, actinomycetes,
mycobacteria, anaerobic bacteria, yeasts and some filamentous
fungi using the Sherlock System.
The
Sherlock System is a product of MIDI,
Inc. and identification is predicated upon the fact that
microbes, especially bacteria have a unique array of fatty
acids in their membranes. Pure cultures are subjected to an
extraction procedure which involves disrupting the cell wall
and membrane, methylating the fatty acids and extracting them
with an organic solvent. This collection of fatty acid methyl
esters is then analyzed on a fully automated gas chromatographic
analytical system. Fatty acid profiles are compared to a database
of profiles for over 1000 bacterial species and about 250
fungal species. Results generated by fatty acid analysis include
a list of fatty acids present, relative percentage of each
as well as microbial identification and fitness of match.
The system can analyze about 150 samples per day (or over
1000 per week) allowing for large projects.
Additional
capabilities of the Sherlock System include construction of
dendrograms and 2-D plot analyses of fatty acid data. These
are useful tool in determining strain relatedness and phylogeny.
- Example 1:
- Two morphologically similar isolates, each
determined to produce a certain desirable compound but
isolated from the same source, can be analyzed to determine
whether they are in fact the same strain or two members
of the same species or subspecies.
-
-
Example
2:
-
Of thirty strains, all of
which identify to the same species, a handful have a noticeably
lower percentage of one specific fatty acid. A 2-D plot
could help determine whether this difference is a result
of the formation of a subspecies or if the fatty acid
in question simply has a wide range of variability for
this species.
-
Example
3:
-
Upon isolation from diseased
plant material, an organism is isolated which causes similar
disease symptoms when inoculated into a second plant.
Isolation from the second plant yields several colony
morphologies all similar to the initial strain. Strain
recovery can be confirmed by 2-D plot or dendrogram analysis.
Sending Samples
Broth
or agar cultures can be sent, although cultures on agar slants
are preferred. The preferred growth medium is trypticase soy
agar or nutrient agar. Samples should be clearly labelled
with a strain designation. Ship samples to:
John McInroy, Director
BSI-MAS
Dept. of Entomology & Plant Pathology
209 Life Science Building
Auburn University, AL 36849
Phone: (334) 844-1982
Fax: (334) 844-1947
Price
List per Strain (in US Dollars)
Public Sector
| Number of Strains
| Price |
| 1-100
| $50.00 each |
| 101 or more
| $45.00 each |
Private Sector
| Number of Strains
| Price |
| 1-100
| $60.00 each. |
| 101 or more
| $55.00 each |
|
|
