Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: Precision Diagnostics.

Lower respiratory tract infections are the most common cause of death globally, representing the leading source of infection among patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Rapid and accurate pathogen identification allows a targeted therapy, yet most diagnostic tests require an extended processing time that can be detrimental in critically ill patients. New molecular and microbiological tools are now routinely available for precise pathogen identification, although important limitations remain that must be known prior to their use and when interpreting their results.