| Minimum frequency of sore throat episodes | At least seven episodes in the previous year, at least five episodes in each of the previous two years, or at least three episodes in each of the previous three years |
| Clinical features | Sore throat plus at least one of the following features qualifies as a counting episode: |
| Temperature of greater than 100.9°F (38.3°C) |
| Cervical adenopathy (tender lymph nodes or lymph node size greater than 2 cm) |
| Tonsillar exudate |
| Culture positive for group A β-hemolytic streptococcus |
| Treatment | Antibiotics administered in the conventional dosage for proved or suspected streptococcal episodes |
| Documentation | Each episode of throat infection and its qualifying features substantiated by contemporaneous notation in a medical record |
| If the episodes are not fully documented, subsequent observance by the physician of two episodes of throat infection with patterns of frequency and clinical features consistent with the initial history* |
