Tirodker 2003.

Study characteristics
Patient sampling	All infants with suspected sepsis in the NICU and PICU during the study period were considered for inclusion in the study.
Patient characteristics and setting	Infants admitted in the NICU (n = 46) and PICU (n = 17) with suspected sepsis during the period from November 1999 to November 2000. PCR and blood culture data separately for neonates not available.
Index tests	Fungal conventional PCR targeting 18S rRNA.
Target condition and reference standard(s)	Suspected sepsis and blood culture.
Flow and timing	Excess blood used for culture was used for PCR.
Comparative
Notes	PCR and blood culture data separately for neonates not available. It was unclear how many of the infants admitted in the PICU were neonates hence, not all infants may have met the target condition of neonatal sepsis defined in this study. PCR products were analyzed by 2 independent observers blinded to blood culture results and participant information.
Methodological quality
Item	Authors' judgement	Risk of bias	Applicability concerns
DOMAIN 1: Patient Selection
Was a consecutive or random sample of patients enrolled?	Yes
Was a case‐control design avoided?	Yes
Did the study avoid inappropriate exclusions?	Yes
		Low	High
DOMAIN 2: Index Test All tests
Were the index test results interpreted without knowledge of the results of the reference standard?	Yes
If a threshold was used, was it pre‐specified?	Yes
		Low	Low
DOMAIN 3: Reference Standard
Is the reference standards likely to correctly classify the target condition?	Yes
Were the reference standard results interpreted without knowledge of the results of the index tests?	Unclear
		Low	High
DOMAIN 4: Flow and Timing
Was there an appropriate interval between index test and reference standard?	Yes
Did all patients receive the same reference standard?	Yes
Were all patients included in the analysis?	Yes
		Low