Art and Science of Laboratory Medicine

Art and Science of Laboratory Medicine

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Blood Culture Samples and Integrated MALDI-TOF

Work Flow Analysis of Around-the-clock Processing of Blood Culture Samples and Integrated MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Analysis for the Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections

Because sepsis has a high mortality rate, rapid microbiological diagnosis is required to enable efficient therapy. The effectiveness of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis in reducing turnaround times (TATs) for blood culture (BC) pathogen identification when available in a 24-h hospital setting has not been determined.

Together with continuous cultivation of BC, the 24-h availability of MALDI-TOF MS can reduce the TAT for microbial pathogen identification within a routine clinical laboratory setting. Batch-wise testing of positive BC loses a few hours compared to real-time identification but is still far superior to classical BC processing. Larger prospective studies are required to evaluate the contribution of rapid around-the-clock pathogen identification to medical decision-making for septicemic patients.

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Work Flow Analysis of Around-the-clock Processing of Blood Culture Samples and Integrated MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Analysis for the Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections




































Source: Clinical Chemistry
Image credits: Rodolfo Parulan Jr.


Art and Science of Laboratory Medicine
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