Abstract
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been used in the field of clinical microbiology since 2010. Compared with the traditional technique of biochemical identification, MALDI-TOF MS has many advantages, including convenience, speed, accuracy, and low cost. The accuracy and speed of identification using MALDI-TOF MS have been increasing with the development of sample preparation, database enrichment, and algorithm optimization. MALDI-TOF MS has shown promising results in identifying cultured colonies and rapidly detecting samples. MALDI-TOF MS has critical research applications for the rapid detection of highly virulent and drug-resistant pathogens. Here we present a scientific review that evaluates the performance of MALDI-TOF MS in identifying clinical pathogenic microorganisms. MALDI-TOF MS is a promising tool in identifying clinical microorganisms, although some aspects still require improvement.
Highlights
The present review aimed to summarize the efficacy of MALDI-TOF MS for pathogen identification in clinical microbiology laboratories, including sample preparation and identification performance of microorganisms
MALDI-TOF MS has been applied in clinical liquid samples, including blood culture, urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and various other body fluids; it is limited by the low number of pathogens and abundance of human cells [39]
If a specific protein in pathogenic bacteria is related to antimicrobial resistance, the quality peak of the protein can be detected by MALDI-TOF MS to distinguish sensitive and drug-resistant pathogens
Summary
Clinical microbiology laboratories are constantly expanding the application of MALDI-TOF MS in new areas of infectious disease diagnostics. This review focuses on the efficacy of MALDI-TOF MS in identifying pathogens at the species level in a clinical setting. MALDI-TOF MS has good identification outcomes for common, clinically isolated bacteria [14,15]. New studies have shown remarkable progress in the detection of microorganisms by MALDI-TOF MS and the identification of drug-resistant strains [20,21,22,23,24,25]. The present review aimed to summarize the efficacy of MALDI-TOF MS for pathogen identification in clinical microbiology laboratories, including sample preparation and identification performance of microorganisms. The current problems associated with MALDI-TOF MS in clinical laboratories are discussed
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