Mass Spectrometry Imaging in Microbiology

Capable of simultaneously interrogating spatial and chemical information about molecules, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has contributed to numerous breakthroughs in various disciplines, including microbiology. Over the last decade, the spatiotemporal perspective provided by MSI has granted microbiologists unique insights into the dynamic molecular processes of microbial metabolism. In this chapter, common microbial MSI techniques are introduced with respect to their instrumentation, sample preparation, and pros and cons. A wide range of reported applications is also described to demonstrate the strengths as well as potential issues of current MSI. With the non-stop progress of this technique, it is believed that MSI will only continue to provide more splendid pictures of microbial worlds in the future.