Fast and Accurate Identification of Dermatophytes by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry: Validation in the Clinical Laboratory

The performance of a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) workflow using an extensive reference database for dermatophyte identification was evaluated on 176 clinical strains. Using a direct-deposit procedure after 3 incubation days yielded 40% correct identification. Both increasing incubation time and using an extraction procedure resulted in 100% correct identification.