Patients who have other signs or symptoms of TB

• Other patients may present for diagnosis of illness with signs or symptoms compatible with TB (i.e. night sweats, fever, weight loss) but without cough or sputum production.


• These people should also be evaluated for TB, but sputum examination alone may not diagnose TB.


• A combination of clinical assessment, chest x-ray, Xpert MTB/RIF, culture, and/or biopsy may be needed to diagnose these cases as they may be sputum smear-negative and still have active PTB disease and/or have EPTB.