Community-acquired pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalization and the most common infectious cause of mortality in developed countries, with parapneumonic effusion and empyema being frequent complications. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main microbial cause, so accurate diagnostic methods with high sensitivity and specificity are crucial for targeted antimicrobial therapy. Cultures of blood, sputum, and pleural fluid are the gold standard, but they have low sensitivity, are time-consuming, and are influenced by prior antibiotic use. Non-culture methods include antigen detection in urine and pleural fluid, which are rapid and practical but risk false positive and negative results, as well as polymerase chain reaction with high specificity and serotype identification, which are expensive and less available. New approaches such as proteomics and next-generation sequencing may expand the possibilities in the future. These methods have clinical value for negative cultures and complement traditional techniques, but cultures remain essential for confirmation and antibiotic susceptibility testing. The review highlights the need for further studies focusing on adults.