SpectraBank: an open access tool for rapid microbial identification by MALDI-TOF MS fingerprinting.

MALDI-TOF MS has proved to be an accurate, rapid, and cost-effective technique for microbial identification in which the spectral fingerprint of an unknown strain can be compared to a database of spectra from reference strains. Most of the existing databases are private and often costly to access, and little spectral information is shared among researchers. The objective of the present communication is to introduce the SpectraBank database (http://www.spectrabank.org), which provides open access MALDI-TOF mass spectra from a variety of microorganisms. This work aims to familiarize readers with the SpectraBank database, from the sample preparation, data collection, and data analysis to how the spectral reference data can be used for microbial species identification. The database currently includes more than 200 MALDI-TOF MS spectra from more than 70 bacterial species and links to the freely available web-based application SPECLUST (http://bioinfo.thep.lu.se/speclust.html) to allow comparisons of the obtained peak mass lists and evaluate phyloproteomic relationships. The SpectraBank database is intended to be expanded by the addition of new spectra from microbial strains, obtained in our laboratory and by other researchers.