QUICKprep Enables Identification Directly From Urine in Around 15 Minutes

Conventional urine culture can delay microorganism identification until the following day. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases evaluated whether QUICKprep could support MALDI-TOF MS identification directly from urine after positive screening.

Study design

The study analysed 281 positive urine samples: 166 samples inoculated with organisms from the FASTINOV collection and 115 clinical samples from a diagnostic laboratory. Samples were screened using the Sysmex UF-5000, concentrated, processed with QUICKprep and analysed by MALDI-TOF MS. Results were compared with identification from colonies after subculture.

Identification in around 15 minutes

All 166 inoculated samples were correctly identified. Among the 115 clinical samples, 13 produced no MALDI-TOF identification and five produced mixed-species findings that were considered contaminated samples in the standard workflow. The study reported no wrong identifications.

Across the full study, the reported sensitivity was 95.4%, specificity was 100% and reproducibility was 97.8%. The workflow reduced the reported time to identification from 24 hours after culture to around 15 minutes.

Why preparation matters for direct identification

MALDI-TOF MS requires sufficient microbial material with limited interference. QUICKprep is designed to concentrate microorganisms and reduce cellular debris while preserving viability. The resulting pellet can support identification and provides viable material with potential for subsequent phenotypic susceptibility testing.

The study’s approximately 15-minute result refers to the complete direct-identification workflow used by the investigators, including sample concentration, QUICKprep preparation and MALDI-TOF analysis. QUICKprep itself performs sample preparation; it does not identify microorganisms or determine antimicrobial susceptibility.

A useful signal when samples are mixed

Direct-from-sample testing also exposes an important limitation: mixed microbial populations can compromise downstream analysis. In the study, five clinical samples yielded more than one species and 13 yielded no identification; all 18 were considered likely contaminated. The authors noted that AST should not proceed when no identification or a mixed population is obtained.

Extending rapid workflows to urine

The findings support the use of QUICKprep beyond positive blood cultures, following appropriate urine screening and concentration. Earlier identification may help guide the selection of an AST pathway while preserving viable microorganisms for subsequent testing.

Read the study

Sousa-Pinheiro M, Martins-Oliveira I, Abreu D, et al. “Rapid identification directly from urine using QUICKprep kit.” European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-026-05535-z