TY - JOUR T1 - How To: Identify Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterium Species By Using Maldi-Tof Mass Spectrometry. JF - Clin Microbiol Infect Y1 - 2017 A1 - Fernando Alcaide A1 - J Amlerová A1 - Germán Bou A1 - Pieter-Jan Ceyssens A1 - Pere Coll A1 - Dan Corcoran A1 - Marie-Sarah Fangous A1 - Iván González-Álvarez A1 - Rebecca Gorton A1 - Gilbert Greub A1 - Geneviève Hery-Arnaud A1 - Jaroslav Hrábak A1 - André Ingebretsen A1 - Brigid Lucey A1 - Ivana Marekoviċ A1 - Concepción Mediavilla-Gradolph A1 - James O'Connor A1 - Jim O'Mahony A1 - Onya Opota A1 - Brendan O'Reilly A1 - Dorothea Orth-Höller A1 - Marina Oviaño A1 - Juan José Palacios A1 - Begoña Palop A1 - Arthur Pranada A1 - Lidia Quiroga A1 - David Rodríguez-Temporal A1 - María Jesús Ruiz-Serrano A1 - Griselda Tudó A1 - An Van den Bossche A1 - Jakko van Ingen A1 - Belén Rodriguez-Sanchez KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Non-Tuberculoous Mycobacteria AB -

BACKGROUND: The implementation of MALDI-TOF MS for microorganism identification has changed the routine of the microbiology laboratories as we knew it. Most microorganisms can now be reliably identified within minutes using this inexpensive, user-friendly methodology. However, its application on the identification of mycobacteria isolates has been hampered by the structure of their cell wall. Improvements in the sample processing method and in the available database have proved key factors for the rapid and reliable identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria isolates using MALDI-TOF MS AIMS: The main objective is to provide information about the proceedings for the identification of non-tuberculous isolates using MALDI-TOF MS and to review different sample processing methods, available databases and the interpretation of the results.

SOURCES: Results from relevant studies on the use of the available MALDI-TOF MS instruments, the implementation of innovative sample processing methods or the implementation of improved databases are discussed.

CONTENT: Insight about the methodology required for reliable identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria and its implementation in the microbiology laboratory routine is provided.

IMPLICATIONS: Microbiology laboratories where MALDI-TOF MS is available can benefit from its capacity to identify most clinically interesting non-tuberculous mycobacteria in a rapid, reliable and inexpensive manner.

M3 - 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.11.012 ER -