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Abstract
Although a biopsy may need to be performed in complicated patients, bronchoalveolar
lavage (BAL) is an important adjunct to the diagnosis of pulmonary and disseminated
fungal infections. Culture is the gold standard for diagnosis in many instances, but
cytologic and morphologic analysis is often diagnostic. Although newer molecular and
antigen techniques may be applied to BAL samples, the role of such tests is yet to
be defined for many pathogens.