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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Identification of Rare Bacterial Pathogens by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS
Published on: July 11, 2016
Microbial typing by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry: do we need guidance
Sébastien Spinali1, Alex van Belkum2, Richard V Goering3
1bioMérieux SA, Unit Microbiology, R&D Microbiology, La Balme Les Grottes, France sebastien.spinali@biomerieux.com.
Abstract:
The integration of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in clinical microbiology has revolutionized species identification of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. However, beyond straightforward identification, the method has also been suggested to have the potential for subspecies-level or even type-level epidemiological analyses. This minireview explores MALDI-TOF MS-based typing, which has already been performed on many clinically relevant species. We discuss the limits of the method's resolution and we suggest interpretative criteria allowing valid comparison of strain-specific data. We conclude that guidelines for MALDI-TOF MS-based typing can be developed along the same lines as those used for the interpretation of data from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
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