REVOLUTIONARY TECHNIQUE IN INFECTION/DISEASE DETECTION – MALDI-TOF

Diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections has now become a lot easier and quicker, thanks to a modern analytical technique, called “MALDI-TOF”. This technique, which has been introduced at Apollo hospitals, could allow physicians to commence with their treatment process promptly, unlike the current practice of having to wait for the test reports for 2 – 3 days. MALDI-TOF, or Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight, enables examination of the patterns of proteins detected directly from intact bacteria in order to identify the disease unlike traditional methods where a sample is grown over a period of time to identify the characteristic Bacteria or Fungus. Worldwide, the technology has widely been validated as an important tool for investigations in a clinical setting across pathways of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, pre-natal disorders and is extremely useful in infectious disease applications of identification and detection of viruses and bacteria. As per the medical expert at Apollo hospitals, this technology has the potential for rapid detection of diseases like Typhoid, Urinary Tract Infection, Pneumonia, Viral infections etc.