Identification using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry: Preliminar Data

Bacterial identification is usually allowed analyzing the phenotypic and biochemical topics of microorganisms. The traditional methods of identification require about 18-24 hours and are expensive. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) allows the identification of bacteria in few minutes. We consider 459 bacterial strains that were identified both with MALDI TOF MS and VITEK-2. The percentage of concordance in every group of bacteria was more than 99%, at genus level were more than 94% and at species level was more than 92%. These preliminary data show that MALDI-TOF MS allows a rapid and precise microorganism identification.