Application of MALDI-TOF MS in clinical microbiology identification / 中国人兽共患病学报

ABSTRACT

In recent years ,matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a new organic soft ionization mass spectrometry which can identify and classify microorganism by directly using the sam-ple itself or cultivate colonies on petri dish in a few minutes .This new and simple method reduces the cost of consumables and the time of diagnosis greatly .Its reliability and accuracy have been shown in many studies and different system devices have al-ready been on the market .In the near future ,MALDI-TOF MS will have a broader prospect .This mass spectrometry will be-come an effective and fast microbial identification technology to replace the conventional method .In this article ,we will review the principles of MALDI-TOF MS ,its development and application ,its advantages and shortcomings which compared with tra-ditional methods at the present stage ,and the emphasis will focus on the application characteristics of MALDI-TOF MS in mi-crobial systems .