A commentary on the role of molecular technology and automation in clinical diagnostics

Figures & data

Figure 1. Conventional laboratory identification process.

Figure 2. MALDI-TOF system.

Table 1. Turnaround time (TAT)* for microbial identification**

	MALDI-TOF		Conventional microbiology		Reduction of mean TAT
	Mean	Min- Max	Mean	Min- Max
Gram-positive and Gram-negative	11.12***	2.0‒27	28.62	18.0‒60.0	17.5
Gram-positive only	13.41	2.0‒27.0	27.88	20.0‒55.0	14.47
Gram-negative only	5.36	2.0‒20.0	28.55	18.0‒60.0	23.19

*TAT = turnaround time. **Over a 6 wk period, 150 blood samples at University Hospital Limerick, Ireland. ***All values are in hours

Table 2. PCR analysis at University Hospital Limerick^a

	Annual	Monthly
		Mean	Min - Max
Total samples tested	15732	1311	2.0‒27
Samples tested for potential STI^b only	13338	1112	769‒1148
For Clostridium difficile (toxin) ^c	1714^d	429	415‒447
For Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, VTEC^c	2680^e	670	544‒941

^a January–December 2013; discrete clinical samples tested. ^bSTI: sexually transmitted infection, specifically Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. ^cIntroduced at UHL in September 2013. ^dProjected annual total based on 4 mo analysis: 5142. ^eProjected annual total based on 4 mo analysis: 8040