Evaluation of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Identification of Clinically Important Yeast Species

TLDR

The study assessed the use of MALDI‑TOF MS for rapid identification of clinically relevant yeast species. A spectral library of 109 reference strains (44 species, 8 genera) covering m/z 2,000–20,000 Da was built with Bruker software and validated on 194 clinical isolates (23 species, 6 genera). MALDI‑TOF MS correctly identified 192 of 194 isolates (99 %) and proved reproducible, accurate, cost‑effective, and time‑efficient.

Abstract

ABSTRACT We evaluated the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for the rapid identification of yeast species. Using Bruker Daltonics MALDI BioTyper software, we created a spectral database library with m/z ratios of 2,000 to 20,000 Da for 109 type and reference strains of yeast (44 species in 8 genera). The database was tested for accuracy by use of 194 clinical isolates (23 species in 6 genera). A total of 192 (99.0%) of the clinical isolates were identified accurately by MALDI-TOF MS. The MALDI-TOF MS-based method was found to be reproducible and accurate, with low consumable costs and minimal preparation time.