Abstract
Dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi are common pathogens. Yet, their correct morphological identification remains a challenge for the mycologist. In the past few years, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has become a widely used technique for pathogen identification in microbiology laboratories. The application of mass spectrometry for the identification of dermatophytes faces specific difficulties and benefits from a limited number of studies. In this chapter, we review the general principles of mass spectrometry and detail the technical aspects, such as sample preparation, type of targets, and scope of the different matrixes available. Various systems are currently available that use different basic spectrum processing and variable identification algorithms. We describe these different systems and the different databases available to date and their respective performance for the identification of dermatophytes and propose a review of the literature.
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Normand, AC., Moreno-Sabater, A., Fekkar, A., Piarroux, R. (2021). MALDI-TOF-Based Identification of Dermatophytes. In: Bouchara, JP., Nenoff, P., Gupta, A.K., Chaturvedi, V. (eds) Dermatophytes and Dermatophytoses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67421-2_18
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