New advances in proteomics, driven largely by developments in mass spectrometry, continue to reveal the complexity and diversity of pathogenic mechanisms among microbes that underpin infectious diseases. Therefore a new era in medical microbiology is demanding a rapid transition from current procedures to high throughput analytical systems for the diagnosis of microbial pathogens.

This book covers the broad microbiological applications of proteomics and mass spectrometry. It is divided into six sections that follow the general progression in which most microbiology laboratories are approaching the subject –Transition, Tools, Preparation, Profiling by Patterns, Target Proteins, and Data Analysis.

Professor Haroun N. Shah is Head of Molecular Identification Services Unit at the Centre for Infections, Health Protection Agency, London. The Centre for Infections provides infectious disease surveillance and microbial identification services, co-ordinating the investigation and cause of national and uncommon outbreaks of diseases. Haroun holds several chairs at various universities and spent 25 years in academic life at the University of London.

Professor Saheer E. Gharbia is Head of the Applied and Functional Genomics Unit at the HPA Centre for Infections. She has a PhD in molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, and has held various academic positions at the University of London and McGill University, Canada.