Criteria

Centor criteria[20]

The Centor criteria give an indication of the likelihood of a sore throat being due to bacterial infection. The criteria that give +1 are:

  • Tonsillar exudate

  • Tender anterior cervical adenopathy

  • Fever over 100.5°F (38°C) by history

  • Absence of cough.

If 3 or 4 of Centor criteria are met, the positive predictive value is 40% to 60%. The absence of 3 or 4 of the Centor criteria has a fairly high negative predictive value of 80%.

Streptococcal score card[5]

The streptococcal score card gives an indication of the likelihood of a sore throat being due to infection with group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS). The criteria are:

  • Age 5 to 15 years

  • Season (late fall, winter, early spring)

  • Fever (≥101°F [≥38.3°C])

  • Cervical lymphadenopathy

  • Pharyngeal erythema, edema, or exudate

  • No symptoms of a viral upper respiratory infection (conjunctivitis, rhinorrhea, or cough).

If 5 of the criteria are met, a positive culture for GABHS is predicted in 59% of children; if 6 of the criteria are met, a positive culture is predicted in 75% of children.

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