Update on laboratory tests for the diagnosis of pulmonary disease in HIV-1-infected individuals.

Various diagnostic tests, both specific and nonspecific, are available in the clinical laboratories for diagnosing human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection and associated respiratory pathogens. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia remains the most common pulmonary disease in HIV-1-infected individuals and there have been no significant advances in the laboratory diagnosis of the pathogen beyond the traditional microscopic examination of specimens. In contrast, the greatest revolution in laboratory diagnostic testing has been for mycobacteria, with major advances resulting in significant reduction in the time necessary for isolation and identification to the species level. The application of the polymerase chain reaction for the identification of a variety of pulmonary pathogens observed in HIV-1 infected individuals is discussed.