Validation of a New Web Application for Identification of Fungi by Use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

摘要

The analysis of protein profiles via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has recently emerged as a simple and reliable method to identify yeasts and molds, including dermatophytes (1–12). However, while yeast identification via MALDI-TOF MS is now commonly used in routine laboratories, the identification of molds and dermatophytes using this technique remains reserved for a small number of highly specialized laboratories. Mold identification via MALDI-TOF technology still requires the establishment of comprehensive databases covering the vast diversity of fungi involved in human pathologies (5, 6). This diversity has expanded in recent years, as demonstrated by the Atlas of Clinical Fungi, in which 320 species were described in the first edition in 1995, and 560 species were included in the third edition in 2013 (13–17).