Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) systems are now widely implemented in routine microbiology laboratories. However, new solutions are emerging that show promising analytical performance. This study aims to compare the analytical and practical performance of the Autof MS2600 (Autobio) with that of the market-leading Biotyper Sirius (Bruker). A total of 1006 clinical isolates, representative of the bacterial strains routinely encountered in a university clinical microbiology laboratory, were analysed in parallel on the Autof MS2600 and the Biotyper Sirius systems. According to the manufacturers’ classification criteria, 91.0% and 95.5% of isolates were correctly identified at the species level by Autof MS2600 and Biotyper Sirius, respectively. This difference was statistically significant for Gram-positive but not for Gram-negative isolates. The rate of non-identification was very low and similar between the two systems. Apart from two discordant results, no additional identification errors were detected, and these had no clinical consequences. Overall, both systems showed comparable analytical and practical performance. Lowering the identification threshold for the Autof MS2600 enabled a species-level identification rate for Gram-positive bacteria statistically equivalent to that of the Biotyper Sirius. However, these thresholds should be validated beforehand. Anaerobic bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts also need to be validated in larger cohorts. This new MALDI-TOF MS system is suitable for implementation in routine clinical microbiology laboratories.
Piron et al. (Fri,) studied this question.