Phenotypic identification of Porphyromonas gingivalis validated with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

• Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major bacterial pathogen in human periodontitis.
• Rapid phenotypic methods have been used to identify of cultivable P. gingivalis.
• MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry used to assess accuracy of phenotypic identification.
• Phenotypic identification of cultivable P. gingivalis found to be 100% accurate.
• Study findings validate continued use of phenotypic identification of P gingivalis.

ObjectivePorphyromonas gingivalis is a major bacterial pathogen in human periodontitis. This study used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry to assess the accuracy of a rapid phenotypic identification scheme for detection of cultivable P. gingivalis in human subgingival plaque biofilms.MethodsA total of 314 fresh cultivable subgingival isolates from 38 adults with chronic periodontitis were presumptively identified on anaerobically-incubated enriched Brucella blood agar primary isolation plates as P. gingivalis based on dark-pigmented colony morphology, lack of a brick-red autofluorescence reaction under long-wave ultraviolet light, and a positive CAAM fluorescence test for trypsin-like enzyme activity. Each presumptive P. gingivalis isolate, and a panel of other human subgingival bacterial species, were subjected to MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis using a benchtop mass spectrometer equipped with software containing mass spectra for P. gingivalis in its reference library of bacterial protein profiles. A MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry log score of ≥1.7 was required for species identification of the subgingival isolates.ResultsAll 314 (100%) presumptive P. gingivalis subgingival isolates were confirmed as P. gingivalis with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis (Cohen's kappa coefficient = 1.0). MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry log scores between 1.7 and 1.9, and ≥2.0, were found for 92 (29.3%) and 222 (70.7%), respectively, of the presumptive P. gingivalis clinical isolates. No other tested bacterial species was identified as P. gingivalis by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.ConclusionsRapid phenotypic identification of cultivable P. gingivalis in human subgingival biofilm specimens was found to be 100% accurate with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. These findings provide validation for the continued use of P. gingivalis research data based on this species identification methodology.