Routine identification of medical fungi by the new Vitek MS matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight system with a new time-effective strategy.

We report here a clinical evaluation of the Vitek MS system for rapid fungal identification. A strategy that uses a single deposit without prior protein extraction was utilized to save time and money. Clinical isolates from the Toulouse University hospital were used to evaluate the performance of the Vitek MS compared to that of both routine laboratory techniques and Vitek2. The Vitek MS performed well in the identification of yeasts and Aspergillus fungi (93.2% of correct identifications).