Fast and accurate identification of dermatophytes by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry: validation in the clinical laboratory.

The performance of a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) workflow using an extensive reference database for dermatophyte identification was evaluated on 176 clinical strains. Using a direct-deposit procedure after 3 incubation days yielded 40% correct identification. Both increasing incubation time and using an extraction procedure resulted in 100% correct identification.