Table 2.

Rating guide for recommendations contained in Table 1 (adapted from the guideline developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America [99])

Strength of recommendation A. Good evidence to support a recommendation B. Moderate evidence to support a recommendation C. Poor evidence to support a recommendation Quality of evidence I. Evidence from at least one properly designed, prospective clinical trial as well as additional corroborating retrospective analyses II. Evidence from more than one cohort or case-controlled analytical study or from multiple time-series; these may be supported by results from uncontrolled observations III. Evidence from opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees