Table 4.
MALDI-TOF MS identification of included louse species. Specimens were included based on the quality of their spectra (intensity, overall spectrum quality, and intra-species reproducibility).
| Host | Species | Percentage of included specimens | Number of spectra added as reference | Number of specimens used for the blind test | LSVs obtained from blind tests against database & mean | Percentage of correct identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mammal lice | Haematopinus eurysternus | 18/20 (90%) | 4 | 14 | [1.91–2.9] – 2.213 | 14/14 (100%) |
| Solenopotes capillatus | 59/68 (86.76%) | 6 | 53 | [1.719–2.707] – 2.023 | 52/53 (98.11%) | |
| Linognathus vituli | 25/35 (71.42%) | 5 | 20 | [1.632–2.511] – 2.075 | 20/20 (100%) | |
| Linognathus africanus | 17/21 (80.95%) | 4 | 13 | [1.704–2.644] – 2.046 | 13/13 (100%) | |
| Bovicola caprae | 33/45 (73.33%) | 8 | 25 | [1.546–2.857] – 1.852 | 19/25 (76%) | |
| Bovicola bovis | 29/40 (72.5%) | 5 | 24 | [1.728–2.873] – 2.11 | 23/24 (95.83%) | |
| Bovicola ovis | 57/96 (59.37%) | 9 | 48 | [1.813–2.837] – 2.198 | 48/48 (100%) | |
| Poultry lice | Goniocotes gallinae | 5/5 (100%) | 3 | 2 | [2.34–2.393] – 2.366 | 2/2 (100%) |
| Goniodes gigas | 2/2 (100%)) | 1 | 1 | 1.932 | 1/1 (100%) | |
| Menopon gallinae | 13/16 (81.25%) | 4 | 9 | [1.809–2.613] – 2.166 | 9/9 (100%) | |
| Menacanthus stramineus | 6/10 (60%) | 3 | 3 | [2.306–2.608] – 2.456 | 3/3 (100%) | |
| Chelopistes meleagridis | 15/18 (83.33%) | 4 | 11 | [1.703–2.046] – 1.824 | 11/11 (100%) | |
| Lipeurus caponis | 2/8 (25%) | 1 | 1 | 2.107 | 1/1 (100%) | |
| Human lice | Pediculus humanus corporis | 24/24 (100%) | 0 | 24 | [1.979–2.328] – 2.251 | 24/24 (100%) |
| 14 | 305/408 (74.75%) | 57 | 248 | 2.115 | 240/248 (96.77%) |