[Identification of staphylococci directly from positive blood culture bottles by MALDI-TOF MS system].

Bloodstream infections are substantial causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Staphylococcus species are the most commonly isolated microorganisms from blood cultures in clinical microbiology laboratories. MALDI-TOF MS (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time- of- Flight Mass Spectrometry) system allows the identification of microorganisms directly from positive blood culture bottles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the MALDI-TOF MS system for the identification of staphylococci directly from the positive blood culture bottles which revealed the presence of gram-positive cocci by staining. A total of 96 positive blood culture bottles that yielded gram-positive cocci by Gram stain were evaluated. These blood cultures were obtained from 69 patients between December 2013-February 2014. Conventional methods and BD Phoenix™ automated bacterial identification system (Becton Dickinson, USA) were used for routine identification. The strains were also identified by real-time Taqman PCR (qPCR) which was considered as the reference method. In MALDI-TOF MS method, MALDI Sepsityper™ Kit was used for the bacterial identification and all measurements were carried out by using Microflex LT instrument and FlexControl 3.0 software (Bruker Daltonics, USA). Of 96 culture bottles positive for gram-positive cocci, 90 were correctly identified as staphylococci at genus level with all the three study methods (qPCR, BD Phoenix, Bruker MALDI-TOF MS). The other six samples were identified as Enterococcus faecium (n= 4) and Streptococcus pyogenes (n= 2) by both Phoenix and the MALDI-TOF systems. Of the 90 samples, 87 were identified at the species level (15 S.aureus, 33 S.epidermidis, 29 S.hominis, 10 S.haemolyticus) and three at the genus level by the reference qPCR method. When comparing the results obtained by qPCR and Bruker MALDI-TOF MS, incompatibility was detected for three isolates. Those isolates were identified as S.hominis by qPCR, however two of them were identified as S.haemolyticus and one as S.epidermidis by MALDI-TOF MS. Compared with real-time Taqman PCR it was detected that Bruker MALDI TOF MS was identified 100% of S.aureus to the genus and species level and 100% and 96.6% of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) to the genus and species level, respectively. In conclusion, it was thought that Bruker MALDI TOF MS system may allow rapid and reliable identification of S.aureus and CNS directly from positive blood culture bottles compared with the routine methods used in the clinical microbiology laboratory.