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The Centor criteria are a set of criteria which may be used to identify the likelihood of a bacterial infection in patients complaining of a sore throat. They were developed as a method to quickly diagnose the presence of Group A streptococcal infection or diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis in "adult patients who presented to an urban emergency room complaining of a sore throat."
A throat culture is the gold standard [21] for the diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis, with a sensitivity of 90–95%. [13] A rapid strep test (also called rapid antigen detection testing or RADT) may also be used. While the rapid strep test is quicker, it has a lower sensitivity (70%) and statistically equal specificity (98%) as a throat ...
The two most prominent infections of GAS are both non-invasive: strep throat (pharyngitis) where it causes 15–30% of the childhood cases and 10% of adult cases, and impetigo. [4] These may be effectively treated with antibiotics. Scarlet fever is also a non-invasive infection caused by GAS, although much less common.
A rapid strep test may assist a clinician in deciding whether to prescribe an antibiotic to a person with pharyngitis, a common infection of the throat. [1] Viral infections are responsible for the majority of pharyngitis, but a significant proportion (20% to 40% in children and 5% to 15% in adults) is caused by bacterial infection. [2]
Streptococcal pharyngitis or strep throat is caused by a group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GAS). [20] It is the most common bacterial cause of cases of pharyngitis (15–30%). [19] Common symptoms include fever, sore throat, and large lymph nodes. It is a contagious infection, spread by close contact with an infected individual.
A modified version of the Centor criteria, which modified the original Centor criteria in 1998, is often used to aid in diagnosis. The original Centor criteria had four major criteria but the modified Centor criteria have five. The five major criteria of the modified Centor score are: Presence of tonsillar exudate; Painful neck lymph nodes
The Modified Centor Criteria that is cited in reference #4 (Diagnosis and Treatment of Streptococcal Pharyngitis BETH A. CHOBY, MD, University of Tennessee College of Medicine–Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee Am Fam Physician. 2009 Mar 1;79(5):383-390.) is not accurately reflected in the chart created for this wikipedia page.
The rapid antigen detection test is a very specific test but not very sensitive. This means that if the result is positive (indicating that the group A strep antigen was detected and therefore confirming that the person has a group A strep pharyngitis), then it is appropriate to treat the people with scarlet fever with antibiotics.