5.4.3 MALDI-TOF MS

Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time Of Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a versatile, high-throughput technology which can be used for the identification of bacterial isolates.

The MALDI-TOF MS ‘fingerprints’ the isolate’s proteome and compares it with thousands and thousands of bacterial proteomes stored in the manufacturer’s database. The technology reduces the need for human labour for bacterial identification and, with a cost of less than 1 US dollar per isolate, is transforming the workflow of human and animal diagnostic laboratories worldwide.

Can you think of any potential disadvantages of using MALDI-TOF MS to identify animal pathogens?

Answer

The main disadvantage, common to both human and animal health laboratories, is the high cost of the instruments and ongoing service contracts. However, where sample throughput is very high, this may be off-set by savings in reagent and work-force costs. As the caseloads of many animal health laboratories is not very high, these laboratories may need to submit the isolates to external service providers.

Another perceived problem is the lack of comprehensive proteome databases for animal pathogens. However, this knowledge gap is being filled quickly.

If you are unfamiliar with MALDI-TOF, watch the short video below describing it.

Video 2 Theory of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry, 2016
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5.4.2 Rapid methods

5.4.4 PCR-based bacterial identification