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Centor Criteria
The Centor Criteria was developed by RM Centor et al as a method to quickly diagnose the presence of Group A streptococcal infection in "adult patients who presented to an urban emergency room complaining of a sore throat." The patients are judged on four criteria:
 * History of fever
 * Tonsillar exudates
 * Tender cervical adenopathy
 * Absence of cough

The presence of all four variables indicates a 40 - 60% positive predictive value for a culture of the throat to test positive for Group A Streptococcus bacteria. The absence of all four variables indicates a negative predictive value of greater than 80%. The high negative predictive value suggests that the Centor Criteria can be more effectively used for ruling out strep throat than for diagnosing strep throat.