Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO)
DEFINITION
- Classic definition: (Petersdorf and Beson, Medicine, 1961[27])
- Fever > 38.3°C
- Illness > 3 weeks
- Negative evaluation with hospital workup for > 1 week
- Modern definition:
- Temperature > 38.3°C for > 3 wks duration without a diagnosis despite 2 outpatient visits or 3 hospital days.
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Last updated: June 6, 2019
Citation
Auwaerter, Paul G. "Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO)." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2019. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540224/all/Fever_of_Unknown_Origin__FUO_.
Auwaerter PG. Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO). Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2019. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540224/all/Fever_of_Unknown_Origin__FUO_. Accessed July 17, 2025.
Auwaerter, P. G. (2019). Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO). In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540224/all/Fever_of_Unknown_Origin__FUO_
Auwaerter PG. Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2019. [cited 2025 July 17]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540224/all/Fever_of_Unknown_Origin__FUO_.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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T1 - Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO)
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A1 - Auwaerter,Paul,M.D.
Y1 - 2019/06/06/
BT - Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
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PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Pediatrics Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
