Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Staphylococcus aureus Infection: Mapping Pathogenic Adaptations that Circumvent Immunity

Abstract

Infection and disease are rooted in chemical changes at or below the cellular level. Many of the causative chemical changes that result in potentially deadly conditions localize to specific structures or cells within tissues such as cancerous tumors or infectious foci. This research leverages imaging mass spectrometry (IMS), a technology that allows for visualization of molecular distributions from a tissue section, in combination with other imaging modalities for interrogation of Staphylococcus aureus tissue infections. S. aureus pathogenic molecular responses to circumvent innate or nutritional immunity were mapped across multiple sites of infection. IMS in tandem with other imaging modalities increase the information attainable from these infections. Research of host-pathogen interactions, such as this, is imperative to increase understanding of microbial pathogen proliferation to ultimately devise alternative therapeutics for treatment of infectious diseases.