Introduction

Abstract There has been a revolution in the way clinical microbiology laboratories identify microorganisms with the advent of matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOFMS). MALDI‐TOFMS identifies microorganisms based on their protein profile rather than traditional methods of phenotypic identification such as biochemical testing. MALDI‐TOFMS identification begins with colonies growing on solid agar or growing in liquid media. Cellular extracts of microorganism or direct application of a thin layer of organism from a colony are applied to the MALDI‐TOFMS target, followed by the application of matrix. Initial use of MALDI‐TOF in the clinical microbiology laboratory focused on bacterial identification from colonies growing on solid agar. Due to the ease of use, cost savings, and high accuracy, many laboratories had interest in using MALDI‐TOFMS for identification of other organism groups.