Completion of 18 months of treatment for standardized regimens and 24 months for individualized regimens, plus a minimum of five cultures testing consistently negative for M. tuberculosis in the final 12 months of treatment. Patients with a single positive culture within this time frame were still considered cured, as long as the positive culture was followed by a minimum of three consecutive negative cultures taken at least 30 days apart

Patient who has completed a course of anti-TB treatment according to programme protocol and has at least five consecutive negative cultures from samples collected at least 30 days apart in the final 12 months of treatment. If only one positive culture is reported during that time, and there is no concomitant clinical evidence of deterioration, a patient may still be considered cured, provided that this positive culture is followed by a minimum of three consecutive negative cultures taken at least 30 days apart

MDR-TB patient who has completed treatment according to country protocol and has been consistently culture-negative (with at least five results) for the final 12 months of treatment. If only one positive culture is reported during that time, and there is no concomitant clinical evidence of deterioration, a patient may still be considered cured, provided that this positive culture is followed by a minimum of three consecutive negative cultures, taken at least 30 days apart

Completion of prescribed treatment with attainment of clinical (resolution of symptoms and physical signs), radiological (improvement of imaging abnormalities), and microbiological (conversion of cultures) criteria

Patient whose sputum smear or culture was positive at the beginning of treatment, but who was sputum or culture negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion

Sputum smear microscopy positive patient who was sputum negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion.

Patient for whom there is evidence that treatment was correctly completed, and the microbiological results were negative at the time of treatment suspension. In developed countries, the acceptance of negative microbiological results should comprise at least a negative culture at the end of the fourth month of treatment and a smear-negative study after 6 months. In the case of longer treatment regimens, the requirement would be a negative culture 2 months before suspending therapy and a negative smear study at the end of suspension of therapy. In poorer countries, evaluation would be restricted to smear microscopy

Patient who is sputum smear negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion

Person with bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis who was smear-negative (or culture-negative) in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion

Treatment completed without evidence of failure and 2 consecutive cultures taken at least 30 days apart are negative in the continuation phase

Category IV patient who has completed treatment according to programme protocol and has at least five consecutive negative cultures from samples collected at least 30 days apart in the final 12 months of treatment. If only one positive culture is reported during that time, and there is no concomitant clinical evidence of deterioration, a patient may still be considered cured, provided that this positive culture is followed by a minimum of three consecutive negative cultures taken at least 30 days apart

Pulmonary TB patient with bacteriologically confirmed TB at the beginning of treatment who was smear- or culture-negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion

Patient who was initially sputum smear-positive and who was sputum smear-negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion

Patient who was initially culture or sputum smear microscopy at the beginning of the treatment but who was smear-negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion

Patient who was initially smear-positive and who was smear-negative in the last month of treatment and on at least one previous occasion

Treatment completed as recommended by the national policy without evidence of failure AND three or more consecutive cultures taken at least 30 days apart are negative after the intensive phase (for regimens without a clear distinction between intensive and continuation phases, a cut-off 8 months after the start of treatment is suggested)

A pulmonary TB patient with bacteriologically confirmed TB at the beginning of treatment who completed treatment as recommended by the national policy with evidence of bacteriological response2 and no evidence of failure. 2 Bacteriological response – bacteriological conversion with no reversion.