MALDI-TOF MS: Foundations and a Practical Approach to the Clinically Relevant Filamentous Fungi Identification

Gómez-Velásquez, Juan C.; Mojica-Figueroa, Iván L.; Santos, Cledir; Lima, Nelson; Mesa-Arango, Ana Cecilia

doi:10.1007/s12281-021-00423-9

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 68 publications

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“…Threats to health due to molds are a recurring and growing problem. This is partly due to the difficulty of determining an early diagnosis and, in the case of fungal infections, the resistance of many fungi to antifungal treatments ( 9 , 10 ). Moreover, as health effects caused by molds can be dose-response related ( 11 ), it is very important to both determine the mold diversity as well as to quantify the load per species present indoors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry to Identify Fungi From the Indoor Environment as an Added Value to the Classical Morphology-Based Identification Tool

Motteu¹,

Goemaere²,

Bladt³

et al. 2022

Front. Allergy

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IntroductionDuring the last decades, molds in the indoor environment have raised concern regarding their potential adverse health effects. The genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, and yeasts, the most common fungi found indoors, include species with high allergenic and toxigenic potentials. Identification of these molds is generally performed by microscopy. This method has, however, some limitations as it requires mycologists with high expertise while identification is often limited to the genus level. Therefore, it is necessary to seek for fast and accurate tools, such as Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDITOF MS), enabling an identification to the species level and guiding general practitioners in their search for the underlying cause of a health problem.MethodsIn this study, 149 fungal air and dust isolates from 43 dwellings in Brussels were taken in collaboration with Brussels Environment RCIB/CRIPI and identified by both microscopy and MALDI-TOF MS in Sciensano's Indoor Mycology laboratory. Spectra obtained via MALDI-TOF MS were compared with data available in an in-house created reference database containing over 1,700 strains from the BCCM/IHEM fungal collection.ResultsA total of 149 isolates including 18 yeasts and 131 filamentous fungi were analyzed. Microscopic analysis indicated 18 yeast species and allowed identification of 79 isolates (53%) to the genus level. Only 36 isolates (24%) could be identified to the species complex level. Fifteen molds (10%) could not be identified, and one was indicated as sterile mycelia. No isolate was identified to species level. MALDI-TOF MS analysis identified 137 (92%) of the 149 isolates with a logscore > 1.7. Of these 137 isolates, 129 (87%) were identified to the species level (logscore > 2.0). For only 8 isolates (5%), identification was limited to the genus/section level (1.7 < logscore <2.0), and 12 isolates (8%) could not be identified.ConclusionA comparison of results obtained with both methods indicates an increased precision in identifications with MALDI-TOF MS analysis for 92% of the isolates, emphasizing its highly added value to the standard microscopic analysis in routine practice. In addition, MALDI-TOF MS also enables to assess the accuracy of microscopic identifications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry to Identify Fungi From the Indoor Environment as an Added Value to the Classical Morphology-Based Identification Tool

Motteu¹,

Goemaere²,

Bladt³

et al. 2022

Front. Allergy

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MALDI-TOF MS: A Quick Method to Detect the Susceptibility of Fusarium spp. Clinical Isolates to Amphotericin B

et al. 2023

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Disseminated fusariosis is treated with amphotericin B and voriconazole. To determine adequate therapy, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) is used. However, MIC analysis is based on visual observation and requires a long period of fungal incubation. The measure of the minimal profile change concentration (MPCC) using MALDI-TOF MS is a quick spectral method that has presented good results in determining the antimicrobial resistance of yeasts. However, there is a lack of information on filamentous fungi. In the present work, 13 Fusarium spp. clinical isolates and two reference strains were used. MIC was obtained according to the M38-A2 protocol of the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute, while MPPC was obtained following the initial steps of the M38-A2 protocol. Both Biotyper and the Rstudio environment were used to analyze mass spectra. For some fungal strains, the data obtained from the software MALDI Biotyper Compass 4.1 led to fuzzy heatmaps resulting in difficult interpretation, while heatmaps obtained using Rstudio tools generated better MPCC resolutions. Herein, 86.6% of the AMB MPCC values were highly correlated with the gold-standard AMB MIC. MALDI-TOF MS is a prominent tool used to determine MPCCs quicker, cost-effectively, and more accurately for Fusarium spp. strains. However, better statistical analyses could help measure the technique’s limit detection.

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MALDI-TOF MS: Foundations and a Practical Approach to the Clinically Relevant Filamentous Fungi Identification

Cited by 2 publications

References 68 publications

Implementation of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry to Identify Fungi From the Indoor Environment as an Added Value to the Classical Morphology-Based Identification Tool

Implementation of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry to Identify Fungi From the Indoor Environment as an Added Value to the Classical Morphology-Based Identification Tool

MALDI-TOF MS: A Quick Method to Detect the Susceptibility of Fusarium spp. Clinical Isolates to Amphotericin B

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