https://doi.org/10.15344/2456-4028/2018/129
Abstract
The emerging of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry as a diagnostic tool for the identification of micro-organism has transformed most microbiology laboratories, where phenotypic and cumbersome conventional techniques are still applied currently. Its implementation has allowed high-throughput, rapid, inexpensive and accurate identification of the most clinically relevant bacteria, yeast and mold species [1-5].
The last decade has witnessed how MALDI-TOF MS was increasingly applied for a higher number of microorganisms, available databases grew and sample preparations procedures improved allowing not just the identification of the organism, but also their antibiotic or antifungal susceptibility pattern [6-10] until, recently, several studies have demonstrated MALDI-TOF usefulness for epidemiological studies [11,12].