Bacterial identification using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in positive blood cultures: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND

Early pathogen identification in the bloodstream has long been a key focus for microbiologists and clinicians, given its crucial role in patient management. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry has emerged as a valuable tool for the direct and rapid identification of organisms from positive blood cultures.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy, productivity, and feasibility of two methods for the rapid detection of bloodstream infections.

METHODS

Two methods were employed in this study: One based on differential centrifugation and the other using a lysis buffer.

RESULTS

The addition of a lysis buffer, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), to the blood culture broth resulted in the identification of a greater number of microorganisms (Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumonia).

CONCLUSION

The application of SDS into culture broths is user-friendly and can be easily integrated into routine blood culture processing, allowing for species-level identification within hours of a positive BacT/ALERT signal.