Technical details of the PCR methods used in the included studies.

1Studies that used a BALF pellet for detection after centrifugation. 2Positive or negative extraction control. 3Studies that quantified the fungal load in the BALF. 4Study that used two PCR methods in the same population. Only the qPCR data are included.Abbreviations: BALF, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; IAC, internal amplification control; Neg, negative; NR, not reported; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; Pos, positive; qPCR, quantitative real-time PCR; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulphate buffer.