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Table 1 Definitions of TB for the DarDar Study

From: Basis for treatment of tuberculosis among HIV-infected patients in Tanzania: the role of chest x-ray and sputum culture

Definite TB

1. One or more sputum cultures positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) with ≥ 10 colony forming units (CFU); or,

 

2. Two or more sputum cultures with 1–9 CFU of MTB (indeterminate MTB culture); or,

 

3. Two or more positive sputum smears for acid fast bacilli (AFB) *; or,

 

4. One or more cultures for MTB from the blood or other sterile body site.

Probable TB

1. Positive chest x-ray plus either

 

   a. one positive sputum AFB smear, or,

 

   b. one indeterminate MTB culture result; or,

 

2. Clinical symptoms/signs plus either

 

   a. one positive sputum AFB smear, or,

 

   b. an indeterminate MTB culture result; or,

 

3. Clinical symptoms/signs and a positive x-ray plus a response to anti-TB therapy; or,

 

4. One positive sputum AFB smear from a sterile site plus clinical symptoms/signs of tuberculosis; or,

 

5. Caseous necrosis on a tissue biopsy.

  1. AFB, acid fast bacillus; CFU, colony forming units; MTB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; TB, tuberculosis.
  2. * a positive AFB smear is defined as ≥ 2 acid-fast organisms per 100 oil immersion field