Mass spectrometric profiling of microbial polysaccharides using laser desorption/ionization – time-of-flight (LDI-TOF) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS): a novel method for structural fingerprinting and derivatization

This approach opens the possibility of directly detecting microbial polysaccharides from clinical specimens. Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LDI-TOF MS) using a specific self-ionizable ligand enables direct ionization without the need for an additional matrix, allowing for the particular detection of molecules of interest while suppressing the background signal.