Current Performance of MALDI–TOF Mass Spectrometry Databases for the Identification of Dermatophyte Species
The identification of filamentous fungi by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) represents a challenge due to their complex taxonomy and the lack of comprehensive databases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current status of available MALDI-TOF MS databases for the identification of dermatophytes, including commercial, in-house, and web-based databases. We collected 289 dermatophyte strains from different centers and analyzed them using four databases and a combination of them. The combination of commercial and in-house databases was shown to improve the identification rate and accuracy at the species level. For <i>Trichophyton rubrum</i>, the concordance among all databases was above 90.0%. For the <i>T. mentagrophytes</i> group, correct identification at the species level ranged from 30.0 to 78.9%, depending on the database, and showed very low agreement among them. The addition of the novel species <i>T. japonicum</i> to our in-house database resulted in the successful identification of this species. On the other hand, <i>T. interdigitale</i> and <i>T. tonsurans</i> were the species most frequently misidentified by MALDI-TOF MS. Through deep spectra analysis of both species, up to 29 protein peaks were found to be suitable for their differentiation, demonstrating the potential of peak analysis in differentiating closely related species. In conclusion, improvements of the databases with new strains resulted in increased identification accuracy at the species level. This, combined with peak analysis, could improve the overall identification of dermatophytes by MALDI-TOF MS in clinical laboratories.
Authors
- Carmen Castro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2771-1684)
- Ana Isabel López‐Calleja (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1753-5418)
- Adriana Ortega (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8895-6810)
- Ainhoa Gutiérrez-Cobos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2023-7131)
- Ana Alastruey‐Izquierdo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8651-4405)
- M.J. Goyanes
- Javier Pemán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3222-5653)
- Isabel Fradejas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7118-1289)
- Marina Oviaño (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5977-0024)
- Belén Rodríguez‐Sánchez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9625-427X)
- María Ercibengoa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9152-6590)
- María Rodríguez–Mayo
- Alba Ruiz‐Gaitán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1730-9947)
- Patricia Muñóz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5706-5583)
- Alexander Tristancho-Baró (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5263-4414)
- Ramiro López-Medrano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2148-9936)
- Ana Candela (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0009-7116)
- Andrés Canut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3836-9906)
- Daniel Adrados
- David Rodríguez‐Temporal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1299-3110)
- Marina Fernández
- Juan de Dios Caballero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3096-0382)
- José Manuel López López
- Míriam Alkorta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1371-776X)
- Carolina Aznar Lopez
- Oscar Fraile
- Carlos Gustavo Cilla
Institutions
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES)
- Catholic University of Ávila (ES)
- Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria (ES)
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
- Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón (ES)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (ES)
- Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón (ES)
- Hospital Universitario Araba (ES)
- Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet (ES)
- Hospital Universitario de La Princesa (ES)
- Donostiako Unibertsitate Ospitalea (ES)
- Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña (ES)
- Hospital Universitario Lucus Augusti (ES)
- Hospital Universitario de Valme (ES)
- Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (ES)
- Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Palencia (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Fungi
- Published
- 2025-05-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11050356
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Nail Diseases and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.06
Funders
- European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III
- European Regional Development Fund