Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid for the Diagnosis of Pneumocystis Pneumonia

Given the absence of a sensitive gold standard, this study demonstrates the usefulness of a multigene PCR-based detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii DNA for supporting the clinical diagnosis of PCP, with high sensitivity and negative predictive value rates compared with direct stains, especially in non-HIV immunocompromised patients.