Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) Analysis for the Identification of Pathogenic Microorganisms: A Review

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 7; p. 1536
• Main Authors: Chen, Xin-Fei, Hou, Xin, Xiao, Meng, Zhang, Li, Cheng, Jing-Wei, Zhou, Meng-Lan, Huang, Jing-Jing, Zhang, Jing-Jia, Xu, Ying-Chun, Hsueh, Po-Ren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 19.07.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Algorithms; Bacteria; Clinical microbiology; Desorption; Drug resistance; Fungi; Gram-positive bacteria; Ionization; Ions; Lasers; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS); Medical laboratories; Methods; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Optimization; pathogenic microorganism identification; Pathogens; Proteins; Review; Sample preparation; Scientific imaging; Spectroscopy; Urine; Viruses
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071536

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.