Fungal infections are a significant problem among individuals using medical devices, those with pulmonary conditions, and patients that are otherwise immunocompromised. Current screening methods to detect fungal infections display limited accuracy, and while more accurate results can be obtained through cultures, these take up to several weeks to provide results. Given that infected patients usually have suppressed immune systems, shortcomings in diagnostic methods make accurate, straightforward alternatives desirable. Chitin and chitosan are polysaccharides that confer rigidity to fungi’s cell walls. Given their ubiquity in pathogenic fungal species and absence from endogenous sources, these compounds hold the potential to serve as biomarkers for fungal infections. High performance liquid chromatography can be used in tandem with mass spectrometry to detect the degradation products of these polymers, which include glucosamine, <i>N-</i>acetylglucosamine and oligomers comprised of both. This poster discusses degradation methods for chitin and chitosan and the identification of subsequent products in the context of creating unique chemical fingerprints that can be related back to the polymer’s presence. Detecting these products by LC/MS potentially facilitates its use to nonspecifically screen for and to presymptomatically detect fungal infections.<br/>

Screening for fungal infections using LC/MS

2019 Fall National Meeting

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