Franchetti L, et al. - A commercially available multiplex bacterial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay developed for pneumonia was tested for its efficacy in identifying the pathogens implicated in pleural infection, particularly empyema. Multiplex bacterial PCR (Curetis Unyvero p55) was performed in batch and had no influence on therapeutic decisions. In this prospective, monocentric, observational study, the inclusion of 194 patients with pleural effusion was proposed. The cases diagnosed with empyema most commonly had anaerobes [31] followed by gram-positive cocci [10] and gram-negative rods [4]. Relative to the conventional methods, the multiplex PCR assay recognized more of the pathogens on the panel. Findings here indicate higher sensitivity and specificity of the multiplex PCR-based assay than conventional microbiology. Researchers suggest a necessity for a dedicated pleural empyema multiplex PCR panel including anaerobes to cover the most common pathogens involved in pleural infection.