title: [Proteomic applications in the Clinical Microbiology laboratory].
abstract: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is rapidly becoming a new routine resource in Clinical Microbiology laboratories. Its usefulness for bacterial identification is now generally accepted, although there is still some reluctance as regards specific bacterial groups and some other microorganisms, such as moulds. There are other potential applications of this technology in Clinical Microbiology, which are beginning to be developed. A review is presented on the current data on the identification of microorganisms, including the most problematic groups, such as mycobacteria, anaerobic bacteria and moulds. We also analyse its applications for direct sample identification, its impact on pathogenic characteristics of microorganisms, and its potential epidemiological applications. Finally, we review the studies published on its applications for determining antimicrobial susceptibility, and its applications on amplicons, instead of microorganism protein extracts.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Salud Pública y Microbiología Médica, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, España. jlmubel@usal.es
authors.forename: Juan Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Muñoz Bellido
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vega Castaño
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sánchez Juanes
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: González Buitrago
mesh_terms: D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008828:Microbiological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D040901:Proteomics; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization