Identifi cation of dermatophytes by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-fl ight mass spectrometry

cation of dermatophytes [3 – 5]. ITS sequencing is presently considered the gold standard for molecular identifi cation and phylogenetic analyses of dermatophytes. However, DNA sequencing is expensive and at least 2 – 3 days are required before a sequence is obtained from a culture. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-fl ight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is now used routinely in clinical diagnostic laboratories as it is faster than PCR and requires little sample handling. It is a cost-effective and reliable technique for the identifi cation and typing of microbial pathogens including bacteria [6 – 11], yeasts [12 – 14], and fi lamentous fungi [11,15 – 18]. MALDI-TOF Introduction