[Infection diagnostics in pneumology. Part 1. Survey and methods]

Lower respiratory tract infections rank among the most important illnesses in medicine. However, the identification of a causative microbiological agent is often difficult. Pulmonary infections must be differentiated from non-infectious causes of pulmonary diseases with similar symptoms and infiltrates on chest imaging. Among the important novel developments ranks the analysis of serum procalcitonin for a better identification and treatment monitoring of bacterial pneumonias compared to conventional tests and a simple scoring system, like the CRB-65/CURB score, for a rapid risk stratification. A rational diagnostic approach is necessary to identify causative microorganisms of pulmonary infectious diseases depending on the severity of the illness, the exposition and predisposition of the patient. In addition to the classical microbiological methods, rapid test systems for the identification of microorganisms are becoming increasingly important. The first part of this review gives a detailed survey of the methods for the diagnosis of pulmonary infectious diseases. In the second part of the manuscript, we will focus on special pulmonary infectious diseases.