Recently, MALDI-TOF MS fingerprint analysis for microbial identification appeared as a powerful alternative to biochemical methods, in particular in clinical routine. The technology has been established in a significant number of laboratories in Europe during the last three years and recently is also being introduced in the US. Improved accuracy, reduced costs, and significantly shortened time-to-result could be demonstrated in various studies, for particular groups of microorganisms as well as for general clinical routine practice. The talk will give an overview about the technology, its implementation in clinical laboratories, the results of performance evaluation studies, and the future perspectives.
--replacing Andy Hoofnagle |
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