A critical evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage. Criteria for identifying unsatisfactory specimens.

In a multicenter, city-wide study of the use of bronchoalveolar lavage for the evaluation of diffuse interstitial lung diseases, the occurrence of specimens unsuitable for analysis was evaluated. Using a standardized bronchoscopy technique, 26 physicians obtained 1,588 lavage specimens from 787 patients over a 52-month period. After transport to and processing in one laboratory using standardized procedures, all specimens were interpreted by one pathologist.

In vitro susceptibility of fungi to killing by neutrophil granulocytes discriminates between primary pathogenicity and opportunism.

Pathogenic fungi, according to their propensity to cause infection of apparently normal individuals, can be grouped into either primary pathogens (e.g., Coccidioides, Histoplasma, Paracoccidioides, Blastomyces, and Sporothrix) or opportunists (e.