The Centor criteria are a set of criteria which may be used to identify the likelihood of a bacterial infection in adult 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."
Criteria
The patients are judged on four criteria, with one point added for each positive criterion:
Absence of cough
Tonsillar exudates (ooze)
History of fever
Tender anterior cervical adenopathyThe modified Centor criteria also incorporate the patient's age:
Age under 15 add 1 point
Age over 44 subtract 1 point
Mnemonic using criteria name
A mnemonic to remember Centor is:
C – Cough absent, or the incorrect but memorable "Can't Cough"
E – Exudate
N – Nodes
T – temperature (fever)
OR – young OR old modifier
Scoring
The point system is important in that it dictates management. [Source: Wikipedia 
]
