This document provides guidance on examining stained sputum smears under a microscope to detect acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and report tuberculosis (TB) infection status. It describes the proper technique for examining smears at 100x magnification by observing at least 300 fields. Smears should be graded based on the number of AFB observed per field as no AFB, scanty (1-9 AFB/100 fields), 1+ (10-99 AFB/100 fields), 2+ (1-10 AFB/50 fields), or 3+ (more than 10 AFB/20 fields). Inaccurate grading can lead to false negatives or false positives, impacting patient treatment and epidemiological analysis