Ongoing Revolution in Bacteriology: Routine Identification of Bacteria by Matrix‐Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time‐of‐Flight Mass Spectrometry

MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is a cost-effective, accurate method for routine identification of bacterial isolates in <1 h using a database comprising > or =10 reference spectra per bacterial species and a 1.9 identification score (Brucker system). It may replace Gram staining and biochemical identification in the near future.