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Performance of the VITEK® MS system for the identification of filamentous fungi in a microbiological laboratory in Chile

Summary

Researchers tested a fast machine called VITEK® MS for identifying dangerous mold infections in patients. The machine correctly identified over 91% of fungal samples, which is much better than waiting weeks for traditional laboratory methods. This technology could help doctors start treatment much faster for patients with serious mold infections, potentially saving lives.

Background

Filamentous fungi cause severe infections in immunocompromised patients, requiring rapid and accurate identification for appropriate antifungal therapy. Traditional morphological identification methods are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and operator-dependent. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry offers a faster alternative for fungal identification.

Objective

To evaluate the specificity and practicality of the VITEK® MS system with the Mould Kit and updated database version (v3.2.0) for identifying filamentous fungi in a routine clinical microbiology laboratory in Chile.

Results

VITEK® MS correctly identified 91.0% of isolates overall (58.2% to species level, 29.9% to species complex level, 1.5% to genus level). In 82% of cases, results matched reference laboratory identifications. No misidentifications were observed. All 5 species complexes were correctly diagnosed, and 20 of 30 individual species were correctly identified to species level.

Conclusion

The VITEK® MS system with the updated v3.2.0 database demonstrated high capability for accurate identification of filamentous fungi in routine clinical laboratories, with excellent concordance with reference methods and no misidentifications. The system provides a rapid, practical alternative to traditional morphological identification methods.
  • Published in:PLoS One,
  • Study Type:Prospective Diagnostic Evaluation Study,
  • Source: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315690; PMID: 39715188
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