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Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Identification of Rare Bacterial Pathogens by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS
Published on: July 11, 2016
Recent Advances and Potential Future Applications of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry for Identification of Helminths
Issa Sy1, Lucie Conrad1, Sören L Becker1,2,3
1Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Helminth infections caused by nematodes, trematodes, and cestodes are major neglected tropical diseases and of great medical and veterinary relevance. At present, diagnosis of helminthic diseases is mainly based on microscopic observation of different parasite stages, but microscopy is associated with limited diagnostic accuracy. Against this background, recent studies described matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry as a potential, innovative tool for helminth identification and differentiation. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is based on the analysis of spectra profiles generated from protein extracts of a given pathogen. It requires an available spectra database containing reference spectra, also called main spectra profiles (MSPs), which are generated from well characterized specimens. At present, however, there are no commercially available databases for helminth identification using this approach. In this narrative review, we summarize recent developments and published studies between January 2019 and September 2022 that report on the use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for helminths. Current challenges and future research needs are identified and briefly discussed.
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