Diagnostic criteria
| (1) World Health Organisation criteria for tuberculosis: “definite” cases are those confirmed by culture or supported by microscopy findings; “probable” cases are based on a clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis, combined with the intention to treat with a full course of anti-tuberculosis drugs |
| (2) Dukes’s criteria for infective endocarditis (IE) |
| “Definite” IE |
| (a) Pathological criteria: microorganisms demonstrated in a vegetation/emboli/intracardiac abscess by culture or histology or pathological lesions of vegetation or intracardiac abscess present, confirmed by histology showing active endocarditis |
| (b) Clinical criteria: 2 major criteria (positive blood cultures for IE and evidence of endocardial involvement—positive echocardiography or new valvular regurgitation) or 1 major and 3 minor criteria (from: predisposition (heart condition or intravenous drug use); fever ≥38°C; vascular phenomena, such as emboli, Janeway lesions; immunological phenomena, such as glomeruonephritis, Osler’s nodes, Roth spots; microbiological evidence—positive blood culture but not meeting major criterion, or serological evidence; echocardiogram—consistent with IE but not meeting major criterion) or 5 minor criteria |
| Possible IE: findings that fall short of “definite” |
| Rejected IE: alternative diagnosis; resolution with 4 days or less of antibiotic treatment; no pathological evidence at surgery or necropsy |