Traditionally, bacteria and yeast are identified using labor-intensive biochemical methods, which could take several days to complete. In some cases, the microorganisms might require further testing for identification. Because antimicrobial susceptibility tests depend on identifying microorganisms, it is critically important to ID them correctly.

The University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL) has a new system, called MALDI-TOF, that allows lab personnel to reliably identify bacteria within a day. MALDI-TOF identifies most yeasts with a high level of confidence, as well. The technology is based on proteomic fingerprinting using high-throughput mass spectrometry. The resulting spectrum is then compared to a database and a reliable identification is made.

The fee for MALDI-TOF microorganism identification is $10/isolate.

A $10 accession fee will be applied per submission, which can contain multiple samples from the same animal