Utilizing matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) can yield substantial cost savings for laboratories over traditional microbiology methods, according to a study presented at the American Society for Microbiology general meeting (Boston; May 17-20). Over a single year, the researchers say that MALDI-TOF saved the microbiology laboratory 92 percent in just reagent costs alone. Although the up-front instrumentation cost is high, the cost of identifying an isolate can be very low. University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospitals purchased the MALDI-TOF MS in 2012 for approximately $250,000. Although the laboratory tested both the Bruker and bioMérieux systems, they ultimately purchased the system from bioMérieux, which is headquartered 10 miles away. “We found the system really revolutionary, and that is not exaggerating,” Peter Gilligan, Ph.D., director of the clinical microbiology-immunology laboratories at UNC Hospitals, tells DTET. “The biggest advantage is that it is fast and quite accurate for 95 percent of isolates. It takes minutes to make identifications that previously took days.” In the cost-effectiveness study, 21,930 isolates were directly compared on MALDI-TOF MS and conventional methodologies from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014. These specimens consisted of enteric pathogens, enterococci, gram-negative nonglucose fermenters, staphylococci, streptococci, and […]