16S rRNA PCR	16S polymerase chain reaction, ribosomal RNA gene
AFB	Acid-fast bacilli
CD4	Cluster of differentiation 4 (T-lymphocyte surface marker)
CI	Confidence interval
CRP	C-reactive protein
CT	Computed tomography
DNA	Deoxyribonucleic acid
DST	Drug susceptibility testing
ESR	Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
GRADE	Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation
HIV	Human immunodeficiency virus
IDSA	Infectious Diseases Society of America
IGRA	Interferon-gamma release assay
MDR	Multidrug-resistant
mNGS	Metagenomic next-generation sequencing
MRI	Magnetic resonance imaging
NGS	Next-generation sequencing
NLR	Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio
PCR	Polymerase chain reaction
PLR	Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio
PRISMA	Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
PS	Pyogenic spondylodiscitis
QUADAS-2	Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2
ROBINS-I	Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions
SPILF	Société de Pathologie Infectieuse de Langue Française (French Infectious Diseases Society)
TB	Tuberculosis
tNGS	Targeted next-generation sequencing
TS	Tuberculous spondylodiscitis
WBC	White blood cell count
Xpert Ultra	Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra(Cepheid; rapid nucleic acid amplification test for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance)
WHO	World Health Organization