Is MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry a Valuable New Tool for Microorganisms Epidemiology?

Matrix-assisted laser desorptionionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is now accepted as a fast and reliable method for bacterial identification. It has been shown a very accurate method for identifying bacteria and yeast and moulds from culture, but also from blood cultures and directly from some samples, such as urine. Some authors have proposed the application of the protein profiles obtained by MALDI-TOF MS for bacterial typing and hierarchical clustering with epidemiological purposes. Here we revise and discuss the information published in the last years on the possible usefulness of MALDITOF MS for this purpose, the approaches proposed for different microorganisms and the future perspectives of this technology in the area of infectious diseases epidemiology