A multidisciplinary approach to understanding the fundamentals ofmass spectrometry for bacterial analysisFrom chemotaxonomy to characterization of targeted proteins,Identification of Microorganisms by Mass Spectrometry provides anoverview of both well-established and cutting-edge massspectrometry techniques for identifying microorganisms. A vitaltool for microbiologists, health professionals, and analyticalchemists, the text is designed to help scientists select the mosteffective techniques for use in biomedical, biochemical,pharmaceutical, and bioterror defense applications.Since microbiological applications of mass spectrometry require abasic understanding of both microbiology and analytical chemistry,the editors have incorporated material from both disciplines sothat readers from either field will come to understand thenecessary principles of the other. Featuring contributions fromsome of the most recognized experts in both fields, this volumeprovides specific examples of fundamental methods as well asapproaches developed in the last decade, including:* Metastable atom bombardment pyrolysis mass spectrometry* Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry(MALDI)* MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) of intactbacteria* High-resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS)* Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometryIdentification of Microorganisms by Mass Spectrometry representsthe most comprehensive and up-to-date work on the topic currentlyavailable. It is liberally illustrated with figures and tables andcovers every aspect of spectrometric identification ofmicroorganisms, including experimental procedures, various means ofsample preparation, data analysis, and interpretation of complexmass spectral data.