High-throughput molecular typing of microbes using the Sequenom Massarray platform

Abstract

The advent of newer technologies, including next-generation sequencing (NGS) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), have continued to drive a considerable renaissance in microbial molecular typing methods. The Sequenom Massarray iPLEX single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing platform (Figure 1) combines MALDI-TOF MS with single-base extension PCR for high-throughput multiplex SNP characterisation1. While the method has primarily been used in the human genetics field, it is now beginning to find its way into the microbiology laboratory. In our hands, the platform has proved highly advantageous for large-scale microbial investigations, enabling multiple SNPs to be characterised for many hundreds of isolates in just over one working day, and at a fraction of the cost of conventional technologies.