Accuracy of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for direct bacterial identification from culture-positive urine samples.

Background Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most frequent reasons for antimicrobial therapy. In typical clinical setting, 18-48 h is needed to identify pathogens by urine culture. A rapid method for pathogenic UTI diagnosis by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been developed in recent years. Methods This meta-analysis systematically evaluated the accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS for direct identification of bacteria from culture-positive urine samples. We queried the electronic database of Medline and Web of Science to obtain relevant articles. Results Nineteen articles involving 4,579 isolates were included after final selection in the meta-analysis. The random-effects pooled identification accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS was 0.82 with 95% confidence interval of 0.79 to 0.86 at the species level. For Gram-negative isolates, the correct identification performance of the species ranged from 0.54 to 0.98, with a cumulative rate of 0.87 (95% CI: 0.83 to 0.91). For Gram-positive isolates, the correct identification rate ranged from 0.32 to 0.80, with a cumulative rate of 0.59 (95% CI: 0.49 to 0.68). Conclusions MALDI-TOF MS provides a reliable direct identification of bacteria, particularly in cases of Gram-negative isolates, from clinical urine specimens. Nevertheless, the identification accuracy of this method is moderate for Gram-positive bacteria.