Evaluation of the Autof ms1000 mass spectrometry for rapid clinical identification of filamentous fungi

Abstract

Abstract Background Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has revolutionized microbial identification; however, there is a paucity of data on its performance characteristics to identify filamentous fungi. The objective of our study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Autof ms1000 mass spectrometry for filamentous fungi identification in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Results Among 95.28% (101/106) that were identified using Autof ms1000 systems at Genus/Species, 76.41% (81/106) were correctly identified at the species level. In addition, a new rapid formic acid extraction method with simple pretreatment for filamentous fungi was developed to save time and obtain accurate results. Conclusions The Autof ms1000 mass spectrometer showed to be a useful instrument for filamentous fungi identification. Nevertheless, up-gradation of the database is recommended for the correct identification of rare strains.