I-dOne: A diagnostic tool in the field of identification of clinically relevant microbial strains

This study evaluates the performance of I-dOne, the first CE-IVD marked software for microbial species identification based on Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and compares its results with MALDI-TOF MS technology (Vitek MS, bioMérieux). A total of 410 clinical isolates were analyzed, spanning 45 species and 24 genera. I-dOne demonstrated a high agreement rate (97.3 %) with the Vitek MS, meeting CLSI standard for microbial identification accuracy. Additionally, this study explored the development of a novel algorithm within I-dOne to discriminate between Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides ovatus strains, overcoming the current limitations in species-level differentiation. Finally, the influence of ageing under prolonged aerobic exposure on ATR-FTIR profiles was investigated, highlighting no significant spectral changes in Bacteroides fragilis strains under prolonged aerobic exposure. These findings underscore the accuracy of I-dOne software in microbial identification, offering a reliable alternative to conventional methods.