A new scheme for strain typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on the basis of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry by using machine learning approach

PLoS One. 2018 Mar 13;13(3):e0194289. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194289. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the most important clinical pathogens, conducts an increasing number of morbidity and mortality in the world. Rapid and accurate strain typing of bacteria would facilitate epidemiological investigation and infection control in near real time. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry is a rapid and cost-effective tool for presumptive strain typing. To develop robust method for strain typing based on MALDI-TOF spectrum, machine learning (ML) is a promising algorithm for the construction of predictive model. In this study, a strategy of building templates of specific types was used to facilitate generating predictive models of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain typing through various ML methods. The strain types of the isolates were determined through multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the predictive accuracy of the models were compared. ST5, ST59, and ST239 were the major MLST types, and ST45 was the minor type. For binary classification, the AUC values of various ML methods ranged from 0.76 to 0.99 for ST5, ST59, and ST239 types. In multiclass classification, the predictive accuracy of all generated models was more than 0.83. This study has demonstrated that ML methods can serve as a cost-effective and promising tool that provides preliminary strain typing information about major MRSA lineages on the basis of MALDI-TOF spectra.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Typing Techniques / economics
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques / methods*
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Humans
  • Machine Learning*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / classification*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing / economics
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing / methods*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / economics
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / methods
  • Staphylococcal Infections / diagnosis*
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (https://www1.cgmh.org.tw/intr/intr2/c3s000/) Grant no.: CMRPG3D1381 and CMRPG3D1382 and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (https://www.most.gov.tw/?l=en) Grant no.: MOST-104-2320-B-182A-005-MY3 and MOST-106-2221-E-155-063. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.