[Usefulness of MALDI-TOF and REP-PCR against PFGE for the epidemiological study of Acinetobacter baumannii]

To evaluate the ability of MALDI-TOF MS and rep-PCR to discriminate Acinetobacter baumannii clones.

A total of 21 strains of A. baumannii with different epidemiological and phenotipycal characteristics were included in the study. All isolates were analyzed in parallel by MALDI-TOF MS and rep-PCR and the spectra obtained were compared with each other and with the results obtained by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Isolates with a similarity equal to or greater than 87% were considered to be part of the same clonal group.

The analysis of the 21 isolates included in the study, resulted in 8 clonal groups using PFGE, 3 groups by MALDI-TOF MS and 7 groups by rep-PCR analysis. The isolates that formed the different groups by the 3 techniques used were totally different, so it can be concluded that there is no equivalence between the results obtained with the three typing methods used.

Despite its simplicity, neither MALDI-TOF MS nor rep-PCR can at this time replace PFGE for the epidemiological study of A. baumannii.