Identification of Rare Pathogenic Bacteria in a Clinical Microbiology Laboratory by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (CAT#: STEM-ST-0309-LJX)

Introduction

Bacterial identification directly from colonies and samples using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has been described as a revolutionary tool perfectly adapted to the clinical microbiology laboratory. MALDI-TOF MS has been used to identify bacterial species and subspecies, and in some outbreaks, MALDI-TOF MS has been reported to be able to identify the lineages of strains. Recently, MALDI-TOF MS has also been used to detect clinical pathogens previously misidentified or ambiguously identified. Detection of antimicrobial resistance using MALDI-TOF MS has been reported for Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Several new bacterial species emerging as human pathogens have been identified using MALDI-TOF MS.