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Comparison of Bruker Biotyper Sirius, VITEK MS PRIME, and ASTA MicroIDSys MALDI-TOF MS Systems for Cryptococcus

Bosung Park1, Eunsang Suh2,3, Eun Jeong Won1,4

  • 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Annals of Laboratory Medicine
|April 2, 2026
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Accurate identification of Cryptococcus species using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is crucial. Bruker Sirius and bioMérieux VITEK MS PRIME systems showed superior performance, especially for rare species, compared to ASTA MicroIDSys.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical microbiology
  • Infectious diseases
  • Analytical chemistry

Background:

  • Accurate identification of *Cryptococcus* species is vital for effective patient management.
  • Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a key technology for yeast identification.
  • Performance of MALDI-TOF MS can be influenced by the specific instrument and the comprehensiveness of its database.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the performance of three MALDI-TOF MS systems (Bruker Sirius, bioMérieux VITEK MS PRIME, ASTA MicroIDSys) for *Cryptococcus* species identification.
  • To evaluate the impact of different protein extraction protocols on identification accuracy.
  • To assess the reliability of these systems for clinical diagnostics.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 51 *C. neoformans*, two *C. deuterogattii*, five *Vanrija humicola*, and one *Naganishia liquefaciens* clinical isolates.
  • Initial identification using on-plate formic acid extraction, followed by repeat on-plate and in-tube extractions for isolates that failed.
  • Comparison of results against ribosomal DNA sequencing for accuracy assessment.

Main Results:

  • Initial on-plate extraction yielded correct identification rates of 86.4% (Sirius), 88.1% (PRIME), and 69.5% (ASTA).
  • Repeat on-plate extraction improved ASTA's accuracy to 81.4% (P=0.016); additional in-tube extraction offered limited benefit.
  • All platforms achieved high accuracy (>94%) for *C. neoformans*, with discrepancies mainly in uncommon species.

Conclusions:

  • Bruker Sirius and bioMérieux VITEK MS PRIME demonstrated robust performance, particularly for *C. neoformans* and *C. gattii* complex differentiation.
  • Single on-plate extraction is adequate for routine clinical practice.
  • Expanding MALDI-TOF MS databases is crucial for improving the identification of diverse *Cryptococcus* species and guiding antifungal therapy.
Keywords:
ASTA MicroIDSysMALDI-TOF MSOn-plate extractionSiriusVITEK MS

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