Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry assigns Escherichia coli to the phylogroups A, B1, B2 and D

We concluded that clinical laboratories could routinely and very quickly assign E. coli isolates to phylogroups with MALDI-TOF MS. These methods could (i) expedite the detection of the most virulent strains belonging to phylogroup B2 and (ii) be a first-line tool to monitor the epidemiology of extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli.