Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections Using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) for Detection of Escherichia coli in Urine Samples

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very common and are increasingly becoming a concern in the medical community due to the growing rate of antimicrobial resistance in common causative pathogens. The poor analytic performance or long time requirement for the current diagnostic tests only contributes to this problem, as antibiotic treatment is often given before the cause of the infection is confirmed. This frequently leads to prescription of antibiotics based on clinical observation or test results, which are often unnecessary or inadequate. This study employs Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) to detect Escherichia coli, the most common causative pathogen of UTIs, in patient urine samples. MALDI is highly sensitive, accurate, cost effective, and provides a fast turnaround time, making it a promising analytical technique. Use of MALDI for identifying cultured microorganisms is fairly widespread, but protocols for direct identification of pathogens in patient samples still needs to be further developed. This study aims to accurately detect E. coli in clinical urine samples with minimal sample preparation in order to develop a diagnostic protocol for UTIs that is simple, fast, and cost-effective. If such a protocol can be developed, then it will provide a more efficient and clinically applicable way for medical laboratories to diagnose and treat UTIs