Rapid identification and differential markers of Curcumae Radix decoction pieces of different sources based on Heracles Neo ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose / 中国中药杂志

Since Curcumae Radix decoction pieces have multiple sources, it is difficult to distinguish depending on traditional cha-racters, and the mixed use of multi-source Curcumae Radix will affect its clinical efficacy. Heracles Neo ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose was used in this study to quickly identify and analyze the odor components of 40 batches of Curcumae Radix samples from Sichuan, Zhejiang, and Guangxi. Based on the odor fingerprints established for Curcumae Radix decoction pieces of multiple sources, the odor components was identified and analyzed, and the chromatographic peaks were processed and analyzed to establish a rapid identification method. Principal component analysis(PCA), discriminant factor analysis(DFA), and soft independent modeling cluster analysis(SIMCA) were constructed for verification. At the same time, one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) combined with variable importance in projection(VIP) was employed to screen out the odor components with P<0.05 and VIP>1, and 13 odor components such as β-caryophyllene and limonene were hypothesized as the odor differential markers of Curcumae Radix decoction pieces of diffe-rent sources. The results showed that Heracles Neo ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose can well analyze the odor characteristics and rapidly and accurately discriminate Curcumae Radix decoction pieces of different sources. It can be applied to the quality control(e.g., online detection) in the production of Curcumae Radix decoction pieces. This study provides a new method and idea for the rapid identification and quality control of Curcumae Radix decoction pieces.

Rapid bacterial identification by MALDI-TOF MS directly from blood cultures and rapid susceptibility testing: A simple approach to reduce the turnaround time of blood cultures

Abstract Antimicrobial treatment of patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) is time-sensitive. In an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance, rapid detection and identification of bacteria with antimicrobial susceptibility are critical for targeted therapy early in the disease course. This study describes the performance of a rapid method for identifying and testing antimicrobial susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria performed directly from blood culture bottles in a routine microbiology laboratory. A total of 284, 120, and 24 samples were analyzed by rapid identification (Rid), rapid susceptibility testing (RAST), and rapid broth microdilution for polymyxin B (rMIC), respectively, and compared with standard methods. Our protocol was able to identify 93% of isolates at the species level using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). We obtained 100% agreement for RAST compared to the standard method and 96% agreement for rMIC. Our protocol has proven to be an excellent tool for rapid identification of Gram-negative bacilli causing BSIs. It can also be used in microbiology laboratory routine along with RAST and faster polymyxin microdilution, especially for carbapenemase-producing bacteria, allowing for rapid, simple, accurate, and cost-effective diagnosis.

Rapid characterization of saponins in fresh and steamed notoginseng root slices by liquid extraction, surface analysis-mass spectrometry / 药学学报

Notoginseng (Sanqi), the root of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen (Araliaceae), is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). It has been widely used in China with a long history for treatment of haemorrhage, edema, and cardiovascular disorders. Steamed P. notoginseng has been considered to have stronger therapeutic functions than raw P. notoginseng in the treatment of tumors, cardiovascular diseases, etc. Saponins are the principal chemical and pharmacological constituents in P. notoginseng. Thus, it is of great importance to determine the constituent saponins and determine any differences between fresh P. notoginseng and steamed P. notoginseng. We used a rapid and direct analytical method based on liquid extraction surface analysis combined with mass spectrometry (LESA-MS) to identify saponins in the xylem, phloem and cambium of fresh and steamed P. notoginseng root slices. The results revealed that ginsenosides Rg1, Rb1, Re, Rd, notoginsenoside R1 and their malonyl group versions were most abundant in fresh root slices, while in steamed slices ginsenosides Rg5, Rk1 and other minor polar components could be detected, and the relative content of large polar components was lower. The described method is fast, robust and sensitive and the process does not need traditional and cumbersome pretreatment such as crushing, extraction and separation. It is the first non-destructive study on the differences in saponins between fresh and steamed P. notoginseng root slices.

Rapid identification of constituents of Urtica hyperborea using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS method / 中国中药杂志

This paper deals with the application of ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) method to rapidly determine and analyze the chemical constituents of methanol extract of Urtica hyperborea. We employed UPLC YMC-Triart C18(2. 1 mm×100 mm,1. 9 μm) column to UPLC analysis with acetonitrile-water(containing 0. 4% formic acid) in gradient as mobile phase. The flow rate was 0. 3 m L·min-1 gradient elution and column temperature was 30℃; the injection volume was 4 μL. ESI ion source was used to ensure the data collected in anegative ion mode. The chemical components of U. hyperborea were identified through retention time,exact relative molecular mass,cleavage fragments of MS/MS and reported data.The results indicated that a total of 31 compounds were identified,including 8 flavonoids,14 phenolic compounds,8 phenylpropanoids(4 coumarins and 4 lignans),and 1 steroidal compound,13 of which were confirmed by comparison. The UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS method could rapid identify the chemical components of U. hyperborea. The above compounds were discovered in U. hyperborea for the first time,which could provide theoretical foundation for further research on the basis of the pharmacodynamics of U. hyperborea.

DNA barcoding and rapid identification of the precious herb Herba Anoectochili / 中国天然药物

Herba Anoectochili is a commonly used medicinal material. However, its adulteration is a serious concern. Due to the similar morphological characteristics of Herba Anoectochili and its adulterants, traditional identification techniques often fail to distinguish between them accurately, which is not conducive to the circulation management and safety of the medicinal materials. To improve the distinction between Herba Anoectochili and its adulterants accurately, this study identified 41 Herba Anoectochili and its adulterant samples based on the ITS2 sequence. Sequence characteristics, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) application, genetic distance, construction of phylogenetic tree, secondary structure prediction, and other methods showed the ITS2 sequence to accurately identify Herba Anoectochili from its adulterants. Furthermore, in this study, we designed a specific primer, based on the ITS2 sequence, and established a real-time PCR detection system for the rapid, sensitive, and specific identification of the original plant of Herba Anoectochili. Compared to DNA barcoding technology, this method has shorter detection time, stronger specificity, and higher sensitivity, which lays the foundation for the rapid identification of Herba Anoectochili.

Rapid identification of bovine mastitis pathogens by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry / Rápida identificação de agentes causadores de mastite por espectrometria de massas MALDI-TOF

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been shown to be an alternative method for identification of bacteria via their protein profile spectra, being able to identify bacteria at the genus, species and even at subspecies level. With the aim of large-scale identification of pathogens causing mastitis by this platform, a total of 305 isolates of bacteria identified from cows with subclinical mastitis were analyzed by conventional microbiological culture (MC) as well as by MALDI-TOF MS coupled with Biotyper data processing. Approximately 89% of the identifications performed by MALDI-TOF MS were consistent with results obtained by MC. From the remaining isolates (11%), 6.3% of isolates were classified as misidentified (discordance for both genus and species level), and 4.7% showed identification agreement at the genus level but not at the species level, being classified as unidentified at species level. The disagreement results were mostly associated with identification of Streptococcus and Enterococcus species probably due to the narrow phenotypic similarity between these two genera. These disagreement results suggest that biochemical assays might be prone to identification errors and, MALDI-TOF MS therefore may be an alternative to overcome incorrect species-specific identification. Standard microbiological methods for bovine mastitis diagnosis are time consuming, laborious and prone to errors for some bacteria genera. In our study, we showed that MALDI-TOF MS coupled with Biotyper may be an alternative method for large-scale identification of bacteria isolated from milk samples compared to classical microbiological routine protocols.(AU)

A espectrometria de massas (MALDI-TOF MS) tem mostrado ser um método alternativo para a identificação de bactérias, sendo capaz de identificar as bactérias causadoras de mastite em gênero, espécie ou até mesmo subespécie. Com o objetivo de identificar os patógenos causadores de mastite em grande-escala por esta plataforma, um total de 305 isolados bacterianos oriundos de vacas com mastite subclínica foram analisados pela cultura microbiológica convencional (CM) e pela MALDI-TOF MS acoplada ao software Biotyper. Aproximadamente 89% das identificações realizadas pela MALDI-TOF MS foram consistentes com os resultados obtidos pela CM. Do restante de isolados bacterianos (11%), 6,3% foram classificados como identificação errônea (discordância de gênero e espécie), e 4,7% apresentaram concordância de gênero, mas discordância da espécie. Os resultados que apresentaram divergência estavam mais associados com a identificação das espécies de Streptococcus spp. e Enterococcus spp. devido à similaridade fenotípica entre os dois gêneros. Estes resultados divergentes sugerem que os ensaios bioquímicos podem ser propensos a erros de identificação, por isso a MALDI-TOF MS pode ser considerada um método alternativo para superar os erros de identificação da CM. A cultura microbiológica padrão e os ensaios bioquímicos utilizados na identificação de agentes causadores de mastite são demorados, trabalhosos e propensos a erros quando utilizados na identificação em nível de espécie. No presente estudo, demonstramos que a MALDI-TOF MS acoplada ao software Biotyper pode ser considerada um método alternativo de identificação de bactérias causadoras de mastite em grande-escala quando comparado com a cultura microbiológica convencional.(AU)

Establishment of a quantitative real-time PCR for rapid detection of Panax quinquefolius / 中国中药杂志

In this study, the specific primers and probes of Panax quinquefolius were designed for a quantitative real-time PCR, and the rapid identification method of P. quinquefolius was established by optimizing conditions. The method was used to validate 43 samples of the traditional Chinese medicine,and the results showed that 22 samples of P. quinquefolius were identified accurately. The limit of detection of the method can be reach to 1×10⁻⁴ ng. The method is accurate, fast, sensitive and specifically.

Application of MALDI-TOF MS for Rapid Identification of Bacteria in Hydrothorax and Ascites after Short-term Culturing / 现代检验医学杂志

Objective To construct a rapid identification method of bacteria in clinical plcural and peritoneal effusion by using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS) combined with short-term culturing.Methods A total of 360 samples of bacterial pleural and peritoneal effusion were collected,including 163 plcural effusion and 197 ascites.Each sample was divided into three parts.One was used for routine culturing and identification,the second was directly identified by MALDI-TOF MS after centrifugal washing,the last was short term culturled for 2 hours mixed with nutrient broth,then identified by MALDI-TOF MS after centrifugal washing.The identification efficiency of MALDI TOF MS combined with short-term culture method for clinical pleural and peritoneal effusion of pathogenic bacteria was evaluated by using microbial identification instrument as a gold standard.Results The correct detected rates of MALDI-TOF MS combined with short term culture method were 94.5％ and 90.9％ in the two kinds of samples,while the undetected rate was only 7.5％.The coincidence rate between identification results of single bacterial growth samples and the con ventional method was 94.1 ％.The predominant bacteria could be accurately identified from samples grown with mixed bac teria.Conclusion After short-term cultured,MALDI TOF MS has a high detection rate,and the result was reliable.The time required for this method was shortened by at least 12 hours compared with hydrothorax and ascitcs routine colturing.It could provide accurate and rapid reports of pathogenic bacteria for the clinical.

Discrimination of Microbe Species by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy / 分析化学

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy ( LIBS ) was proposed to rapidly discriminate microbe species. Ten species of microbes were prepared in lab. Filter papers were selected as substrate for enriching bacteria and enhancing the quality of LIBS. The images of plasma were collected by ICCD camera and LIBS spectra were obtained by spectrometers. The results displayed that the images and spectra were different from 10 bacteria. It was demonstrated that this method was feasible to discriminate bacteria species by analyzing image and/or spectroscopy. Furthermore, nine smooth and multiple scattering correction ( MSC) were utilized to preprocess the LIBS full-spectrum data in the wavelength range of 200-420 nm and 560-680 nm. And principal component analysis ( PCA) and PCA-RF ( Random forest) were compared to validate the accuracy of discrimination. The investigation showed that the PCA-RF model coupled with suitable methods in preprocessing data could identify bacteria. The accuracy was 99. 6% for ten species of microbes by evaluating LIBS spectra in training set, and 96. 7% in predicting set. This report indicated that it is feasible to differentiate bacteria species by analyzing LIBS spectra.

Rapid identification of Gekko gecko by loop-mediated isothermal amplification based on 12S rRNA sequence / 中国中药杂志

Gekko gecko (Tokay Gecko) is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique was introduced for visual rapid identification of G. gecko from adulterants. A total of sixty-five 12S rRNA sequences of fourteen species of G. gecko and its adulterants were obtained. The results showed that G. gecko could be identified from its adulterants through BLAST analysis based on 12S rRNA regions. The 12S rRNA sequences of ten batches of G. gecko were conserved. There were only two haplotypes and three variation sites in the available regions for primers design. Six specific LAMP primers were successfully designed online based on 12S rRNA sequences. The visual rapid detection of G. gecko could be achieved with the optimized conditions (64 °C for 1 h and 80 °C for 5 min). And the required minimal template concentration was 5 μg·L⁻¹ while conventional PCR with 0.5 mg·L⁻¹. Consequently, the LAMP method established from this study was rapid, specific, highly sensitive, and simple. It could be applied to detect G. gecko from its adulterants efficiently.

Same-Day Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bacteria in Positive Blood Culture Broths Using Short-Term Incubation on Solid Medium with the MicroFlex LT, Vitek-MS, and Vitek2 Systems

BACKGROUND: Early and appropriate antibiotic treatment improves the clinical outcome of patients with septicemia; therefore, reducing the turn-around time for identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results is essential. We established a method for rapid ID and AST using short-term incubation of positive blood culture broth samples on solid media, and evaluated its performance relative to that of the conventional method using two rapid ID systems and a rapid AST method. METHODS: A total of 254 mono-microbial samples were included. Positive blood culture samples were incubated on blood agar plates for six hours and identified by the MicroFlex LT (Bruker Daltonics) and Vitek-MS (bioMeriéux) systems, followed by AST using the Vitek2 System (bioMeriéux). RESULTS: The correct species-level ID rates were 82.3% (209/254) and 78.3% (199/254) for the MicroFlex LT and Vitek-MS platforms, respectively. For the 1,174 microorganism/antimicrobial agent combinations tested, the rapid AST method showed total concordance of 97.8% (1,148/1,174) with the conventional method, with a very major error rate of 0.5%, major error rate of 0.7%, and minor error rate of 1.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Routine implementation of this short-term incubation method could provide ID results on the day of blood culture-positivity detection and one day earlier than the conventional AST method. This simple method will be very useful for rapid ID and AST of bacteria from positive blood culture bottles in routine clinical practice.

Study of application value of simple-rapid method in Escherichia coli identification / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To compare the difference of simple-rapid identification method and automatic biochemical identification method in the identification of Escherichia coli .Methods The strains of Escherichia coli isolated from clinical samples were identi-fied by the simple-rapid method and automatic biochemical method .The consistency of result and the time of two methods were compared .Results Among 492 suspected strains ,248 strains were identified as Escherichia coli by simple-rapid method ,and other 244 strains were not .Meanwhile ,231 strains of these 248 Escherichia coli strains and 7 strains of 244 non Escherichia coli strains were identified as Escherichia coli by automatic biochemical method .The positive and negative predictive value of simple-rapid method were 93 .1% (231/248) and 97 .1% (237/244) .2 .5-7 .0 h [average(4 .12 ± 1 .08) h] were used to identify Escherichia coli by automatic biochemical method while0 .5-2 .0 h[average(1 .08 ± 0 .45) h] were used by simple-rapid method ,the difference was statistically significant(t= -40 .252 ,P<0 .001) .Conclusion The result of simple-rapid method is close to that of automatic bio-chemical identification method on Escherichia coli ,and simple-rapid method used less time .

Study of application value of simple-rapid method in Escherichia coli identification / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To compare the difference of simple-rapid identification method and automatic biochemical identification method in the identification of Escherichia coli .Methods The strains of Escherichia coli isolated from clinical samples were identi-fied by the simple-rapid method and automatic biochemical method .The consistency of result and the time of two methods were compared .Results Among 492 suspected strains ,248 strains were identified as Escherichia coli by simple-rapid method ,and other 244 strains were not .Meanwhile ,231 strains of these 248 Escherichia coli strains and 7 strains of 244 non Escherichia coli strains were identified as Escherichia coli by automatic biochemical method .The positive and negative predictive value of simple-rapid method were 93 .1% (231/248) and 97 .1% (237/244) .2 .5-7 .0 h [average(4 .12 ± 1 .08) h] were used to identify Escherichia coli by automatic biochemical method while0 .5-2 .0 h[average(1 .08 ± 0 .45) h] were used by simple-rapid method ,the difference was statistically significant(t= -40 .252 ,P<0 .001) .Conclusion The result of simple-rapid method is close to that of automatic bio-chemical identification method on Escherichia coli ,and simple-rapid method used less time .

Rapid identification of inactivated C.albicans by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy / 药学实践杂志

Objective To develop a rapid method for the identification of inactivated C.albicans by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).Methods Live C.albicans cultures were exposed to heating, formaldehyde and fungicidal drug (amphotericin B).The corresponding SERS spectra were acquired for the investigation and comparison.Results The spectra acquired with three different inactivation methods exhibited similar features of dead C.albicans, which showed significant difference from the spectra of the live culture.Conclusion This SERS method can identify the inactivated C.albicans rapidly.Hopefully it will provide a convenient tool for quick identification of other inactivated pathogenic microorganisms.

Rapid Identification and Quality Analysis of Olibanum by TGA-DTA Thermal Analysis / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

This study was aimed to quickly identify Chinese medicine Olibanum.Thermal analysis method was used on the quality analysis of Chinese materia medica (CMM).A total of 25 batches of Olibanum on the market were collected.This study examined three important factors of temperature range,heating rate,powder mesh on the TGA and DTA thermal analysis experiments.And a method of rapid authentication of medicinal materials using TGA and DTA feature maps was built.Methods of the first-order points,connection on thermogravimetric analysis and heat enthalpy calculation were adopted in the quantitative analysis of Olibanum.The results showed that the best condition of TGA and DTA experiment on Olibanum was confirmed.The temperature range is 50-750℃.The heating rate is 20℃· min-1.The powder mesh is 100 mesh.Under these conditions,good quality goods of Olibanum,counterfeit Olibanum and adulterants of Olibanum could be distinguished through the characteristic peak (T1=447 ± 5℃,T2=549 ± 5℃,T3=350 ± 5℃),thermogravimetric analysis (TV-max,△W2+△W3) and thermal enthalpy analysis (△H).It was concluded that the TGA-DTA technology was simple.It was thought to be a rapid,accurate and simple new method for Olibanum identification and quality analysis.

Isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology and its application in molecular identification of Chinese materia medica / 中草药

Accurate identification of varieties is the most important part of quality control of Chinese materia medica (CMM). To find an efficient, convenient, and accurate identification method is the development trend of identification technology of CMM. Compared with the traditional identification method based on phenotypic markers, DNA molecular marker technology is more accurate and reliable, suitable for the identification of closely related species and sample with confusion and multiple sources, but unable to realize the rapid identification due to the limits of the PCR technology, such as high cost, complex procedures, and the drawback of long time. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel nucleic acid amplification technology, with the advantages of high specificity, high sensitivity, simple, rapid, low cost, etc., become another new technology after PCR to realize the rapid molecular identification of CMM successfully. In this paper, the common isothermal amplification of nucleic acid technology and its application in the study of molecular identification of Chinese herbal medicines were reviewed analysis, to provide a reference for the study of rapid molecular identification system of Chinese herbal medicines.

Rapid Identification of Xiangsha Pingwei Pill(Watered Pill)from Different Manufacturers by Near-infared Spectroscopic Method / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To establish a method for the rapid identification of Xiangsha pingwei pill(watered pill)from different manufacturers. METHODS:Near-infared spectroscopic method was conducted to collect the infrared spectroscopy of 95 batches of Xiangsha pingwei pill(watered pill) from 5 manufacturers,first derivative was combined with vector normalization to analyze the spectral data,mathematical models were established and validated. RESULTS:When the CI value was 5.6,the established model can identify samples from Li Shizhen Pharmaceutical Group Co.,Ltd. quickly,the model was validated to be achievable;and when the CI value was 4.7,the established model can identify Samples from Jinma Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd. in Shangqiu city quickly, the model was validated to be achievable. CONCLUSIONS:The method is convenient,rapid and non-destructive,and can identify different Xiangsha pingwei pill(watered pill)from different manufacturers quickly.

Induction and analysis for NIR features of frequently-used mineral traditional Chinese medicines / 中国中药杂志

In order to provide theoretical basis for the rapid identification of mineral traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) with near infrared (NIR)diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Characteristic NIR spectra of 51 kinds of mineral TCMs were generalized and compared on the basis of the previous research, and the characteristic spectral bands were determined and analyzed by referring to mineralogical and geological literatures. It turned out that the NIR features of mineral TCMs were mainly at 8 000-4 000 cm ⁻¹ wavebands, which can be assigned as the absorption of water, -OH and[CO3 ²⁻] and so on. Absorption peaks of water has regularity as follows, the structure water and -OH had a combined peak which was strong and keen-edged around 7 000 cm ⁻¹, the crystal water had two strong peak around 7 000 cm ⁻¹ and 5 100 cm ⁻¹, and water only has a broad peak around 5 100 cm ⁻¹. Due to the differences in the crystal form and the contents of water in mineral TCMs, NIR features of water in mineral TCMs which could be used for identification were different. Mineral TCMs containing sulfate are rich in crystal water, mineral TCMs containing silicate generally had structure water, and mineral TCMs containing carbonate merely had a little of water, so it was reasonable for the use of NIR spectroscopy to classify mineral TCMs with anionic type. In addition, because of the differences in cationic type, impurities, crystal form and crystallinity, mineral TCMs have exclusive NIR features at 4 600-4 000 cm ⁻¹, which can be assigned as Al-OH, Mg-OH, Fe-OH, Si-OH,[CO3 ²⁻] and so on. Calcined mineral TCMs are often associated with water and main composition changes, also changes of the NIR features, which could be used for the monitoring of the processing, and to provide references for the quality control of mineral TCMs. The adaptability and limitation of NIR analysis for mineral TCMs were also discussed:the majority of mineral TCMs had noteworthy NIR features which could be used for the NIR analysis. And the NIR features of a few mineral TCMs were inapparent, such as Fluoritum, Realgar and Cinnabar, for which the Raman spectroscopy can be adopted alternatively.

Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Analysis on Safflower Injections / 中国药师

Objective:To study the surface enhanced Raman scattering ( SERS) of safflower and identify safflower injections by SERS quickly and effectively. Methods:Through comparative analysis of the Raman spectroscopy of safflower injections and the corre-sponding control herbs, the rapid identification of safflower injections was realized. Results:The results showed that several character-istic peaks of safflower were enhanced obviously in SERS, which could be used to identify safflower injections. Conclusion:The meth-od is reliable, rapid, accurate and specific, which can be applied as a method to identify safflower and its injections.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for rapid identification of clinical isolates / 医学研究生学报

Objective Laboratory tests of yeast, with their disadvantages of long identification, complicated operation, and low positive rate, cannot meet the needsof rapid diagnosis and timely treatment.This studyinvestigated the feasibility ofapplying matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry ( MALDI-TOF-MS) in rapid identification and clinical isolationof yeast strains. Methods A total of 120 clinical non-repetitive isolates were collected from clinical culture samples and identified by MALDI-TOF-MS and VITEK 2-Compact/API, respectively.The discordant results were resolved by ITS gene sequencing. Results Of the 120 yeast isolates analyzed, 117 (97.5%) were correctly identified at the species level by MALDI-TOF-MS, 1(0.8%) misidenti-fied, and 2 ( 1.7%) unidentified.ITS gene sequencing of the 3 isolates showed the coincidence rate to be 0( 0/3) for MALDI-TOF-MS and Vitek 2-Compact/API. Conclusion MALDI-TOF-MScan be used as a rapid, accurate, and inexpensive tool for the identification of clinical yeast strains.