Factors to be considered in deciding to initiate treatment empirically for active tuberculosis (TB) (prior to microbiologic confirmation)

Last Updated April 2026

---

Figure 1. Factors to be considered in deciding to initiate treatment empirically for active tuberculosis (TB) (prior to microbiologic confirmation)

Abbreviations: AFB, acid-fast bacilli; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; IGRA, interferon-γ release assay; Mtb, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; TST, tuberculin skin test.

Clin Infect Dis, Volume 63, Issue 7, 1 October 2016, Pages 853–867, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciw566

Unless provided in the caption above, the following copyright applies to the content of this slide: © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, email journals.permissions@oup.com.