Direct chemical ionization-pattern recognition: characterization of bacteria and body fluid profiling.

Direct chemical ionization is ideally suited for profiling purposes because it is a relatively soft ionization method, easy to operate, reproducible and with a high sample throughput. Moreover, for non-volatile matrices the method combines pyrolysis with an optimal pyrolysate transfer to the ionization region enabling the detection of high molecular weight compounds. Application of the technique to urine analysis of women with a premenstrual syndrome and characterization of Salmonella bacteria illustrates its usefulness. Optimal information extraction from the profiles is, because of their complex nature, only possible using pattern recognition techniques. A new approach based on the data analysis of trend spectra is discussed.