RESUMO
AIM: Development of methodological approaches for identification of leptospira by using MALDI-TOF direct protein profiling technology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analysis of cell proteins of 34 leptospira strains was carried out in Microflex LT by using "MALDI Biotyper 3.0 for identification and classification of microorganisms" program. RESULTS: 19 reference spectra of reference leptospira strains from 7 species were generated and imported into MALDI Biotyper 3.0 database. Identification of 6 strains with undetermined taxonomic position was carried out. CONCLUSION: The approved method allows determination of leptospira species with accuracy that depends on their adaptation to nutrient media, preparation approach and sample storage conditions for mass-spectrometry.