Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Metabolic Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Emitted by the Pathogens Francisella tularensis and Bacillus anthracis in Liquid Culture

Abstract

We conducted comprehensive (untargeted) metabolic profiling of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted in culture by bacterial taxa Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) subspecies novicida and Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) Sterne, surrogates for potential bacterial bioterrorism agents, as well as selective measurements of VOCs from their fully virulent counterparts, F. tularensis subspecies tularensis strain SCHU S4 and B. anthracis Ames. F. tularensis and B. anthracis were grown in liquid broth for time periods that covered logarithmic growth, stationary, and decline phases. VOCs emitted over the course of the growth phases were collected from the headspace above the cultures using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We developed criteria for distinguishing VOCs originating from bacteria versus background VOCs (originating from growth media only controls or sampling devices). Analyses of collected VOCs revealed methyl ketones, alcohols, esters, carboxylic acids, and nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds that were present in the bacterial cultures and absent (or present at only low abundance) in control samples indicating that these compounds originated from the bacteria. Distinct VOC profiles where observed for F. tularensis when compared with B. anthracis while the observed profiles of each of the two F. tularensis and B. anthracis strainsmore » exhibited some similarities. Furthermore, the relative abundance of VOCs was influenced by bacterial growth phase. These data illustrate the potential for VOC profiles to distinguish pathogens at the genus and species-level and to discriminate bacterial growth phases. The determination of VOC profiles lays the groundwork for non-invasive probes of bacterial metabolism and offers prospects for detection of microbe-specific VOC biomarkers from two potential biowarfare agents.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [2]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1769133
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-803563
Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322; 1006424
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-07NA27344
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 10; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Reese, Kristen L., Rasley, Amy, Avila, Julie R., Jones, A. Daniel, and Frank, Matthias. Metabolic Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Emitted by the Pathogens Francisella tularensis and Bacillus anthracis in Liquid Culture. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66136-0.
Copy to clipboard
Reese, Kristen L., Rasley, Amy, Avila, Julie R., Jones, A. Daniel, & Frank, Matthias. Metabolic Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Emitted by the Pathogens Francisella tularensis and Bacillus anthracis in Liquid Culture. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66136-0
Copy to clipboard
Reese, Kristen L., Rasley, Amy, Avila, Julie R., Jones, A. Daniel, and Frank, Matthias. Tue . "Metabolic Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Emitted by the Pathogens Francisella tularensis and Bacillus anthracis in Liquid Culture". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66136-0. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1769133.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1769133,
title = {Metabolic Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Emitted by the Pathogens Francisella tularensis and Bacillus anthracis in Liquid Culture},
author = {Reese, Kristen L. and Rasley, Amy and Avila, Julie R. and Jones, A. Daniel and Frank, Matthias},
abstractNote = {We conducted comprehensive (untargeted) metabolic profiling of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted in culture by bacterial taxa Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) subspecies novicida and Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) Sterne, surrogates for potential bacterial bioterrorism agents, as well as selective measurements of VOCs from their fully virulent counterparts, F. tularensis subspecies tularensis strain SCHU S4 and B. anthracis Ames. F. tularensis and B. anthracis were grown in liquid broth for time periods that covered logarithmic growth, stationary, and decline phases. VOCs emitted over the course of the growth phases were collected from the headspace above the cultures using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We developed criteria for distinguishing VOCs originating from bacteria versus background VOCs (originating from growth media only controls or sampling devices). Analyses of collected VOCs revealed methyl ketones, alcohols, esters, carboxylic acids, and nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds that were present in the bacterial cultures and absent (or present at only low abundance) in control samples indicating that these compounds originated from the bacteria. Distinct VOC profiles where observed for F. tularensis when compared with B. anthracis while the observed profiles of each of the two F. tularensis and B. anthracis strains exhibited some similarities. Furthermore, the relative abundance of VOCs was influenced by bacterial growth phase. These data illustrate the potential for VOC profiles to distinguish pathogens at the genus and species-level and to discriminate bacterial growth phases. The determination of VOC profiles lays the groundwork for non-invasive probes of bacterial metabolism and offers prospects for detection of microbe-specific VOC biomarkers from two potential biowarfare agents.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-020-66136-0},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 10,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66136-0
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Review: Endogenously Produced Volatiles for In Vitro Toxicity Testing Using Cell Lines
journal, June 2018

  • Winters, Brett R.; Pleil, Joachim D.; Boyer, Jayne C.
  • Applied In Vitro Toxicology, Vol. 4, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1089/aivt.2017.0038

Anthrax: A disease of biowarfare and public health importance
journal, January 2015

Volatile Metabolites
journal, November 2011

Molecular analysis of volatile metabolites released specifically by staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas aeruginosa
journal, January 2012

Differentiation of bacteria using fatty acid profiles from gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: Differentiation of bacteria using fatty acid profiles
journal, March 2010

  • Li, Yanyan; Wu, Shengfang; Wang, Liping
  • Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 90, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.3931

Exhaled breath analysis: a review of ‘breath-taking’ methods for off-line analysis
journal, August 2017

Bacterial volatiles: the smell of small organisms
journal, January 2007

  • Schulz, Stefan; Dickschat, Jeroen S.
  • Natural Product Reports, Vol. 24, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1039/b507392h

The biology of methyl ketones
journal, July 1971

Crystal structure and substrate specificity of the β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH) from Staphylococcus aureus
journal, August 2005

  • Qiu, Xiayang; Choudhry, Anthony E.; Janson, Cheryl A.
  • Protein Science, Vol. 14, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1110/ps.051501605

Francisella tularensis: Taxonomy, Genetics, and Immunopathogenesis of a Potential Agent of Biowarfare
journal, October 2006

High pyrazine production by Bacillus subtilis in solid substrate fermentation on ground soybeans
journal, September 1999

Comparison of Francisella tularensis genomes reveals evolutionary events associated with the emergence of human pathogenic strains
journal, January 2007

On-Line Analysis of Exhaled Breath: Focus Review
journal, August 2019

Centralized resource for chemicals from the human volatilome in an interactive open-sourced database
journal, August 2019

Proposed minimum reporting standards for chemical analysis: Chemical Analysis Working Group (CAWG) Metabolomics Standards Initiative (MSI)
journal, September 2007

Formation of Pyrazines from the Maillard Reaction of Glucose and Lysine-.alpha.-amine-15N
journal, April 1994

  • Hwang, Hui-Ing; Hartman, Thomas G.; Rosen, Robert T.
  • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 42, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1021/jf00040a031

Comparison of long-chain alcohols and other volatile compounds emitted from food-borne and related Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria
journal, December 2002

Antibacterial Activity of Long-Chain Fatty Alcohols against Staphylococcus aureus
journal, February 2007

  • Togashi, Naoko; Shiraishi, Akiko; Nishizaka, Miki
  • Molecules, Vol. 12, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.3390/12020139

The human volatilome: volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath, skin emanations, urine, feces and saliva
journal, June 2014

Role of bacterial volatile compounds in bacterial biology
journal, February 2015

  • Audrain, Bianca; Farag, Mohamed A.; Ryu, Choong-Min
  • FEMS Microbiology Reviews, Vol. 39, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuu013

Review—Non-Invasive Monitoring of Human Health by Exhaled Breath Analysis: A Comprehensive Review
journal, January 2020

Hybrid Volatolomics and Disease Detection
journal, July 2015

  • Broza, Yoav Y.; Mochalski, Pawel; Ruzsanyi, Vera
  • Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 54, Issue 38
  • DOI: 10.1002/anie.201500153

Volatile affairs in microbial interactions
journal, May 2015

  • Schmidt, Ruth; Cordovez, Viviane; de Boer, Wietse
  • The ISME Journal, Vol. 9, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2015.42

Definitive identification of Bacillus anthracis-a review
journal, August 1999

Volatile metabolic diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae in nutrient-replete conditions
journal, January 2017

  • Rees, Christiaan A.; Nordick, Katherine V.; Franchina, Flavio A.
  • Metabolomics, Vol. 13, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11306-016-1161-z

Francisella tularensis Type A Strains Cause the Rapid Encystment of Acanthamoeba castellanii and Survive in Amoebal Cysts for Three Weeks Postinfection
journal, October 2009

  • El-Etr, S. H.; Margolis, J. J.; Monack, D.
  • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 75, Issue 23
  • DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01829-09

The Use of Colorimetric Sensor Arrays to Discriminate between Pathogenic Bacteria
journal, May 2013

Chemical Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Headspace of Algal Cultures as Early Biomarkers of Algal Pond Crashes
journal, September 2019

Pathogenic bacteria: their detection and differentiation by rapid lipid profiling with pyrolysis mass spectrometry
journal, February 1998

  • Basile, Franco; Beverly, Michael B.; Voorhees, Kent J.
  • TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 17, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1016/S0165-9936(97)00103-9

Comprehensive volatile metabolic fingerprinting of bacterial and fungal pathogen groups
journal, January 2018

  • Rees, Christiaan A.; Burklund, Alison; Stefanuto, Pierre-Hugues
  • Journal of Breath Research, Vol. 12, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1088/1752-7163/aa8f7f
    Sort by:
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: