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Review
. 2016 Jun 24;8(2):6568.
doi: 10.4081/idr.2016.6568.

Tuberculosis Biomarkers: From Diagnosis to Protection

Affiliations
Review

Tuberculosis Biomarkers: From Diagnosis to Protection

Delia Goletti et al. Infect Dis Rep. .

Abstract

New approaches to control tuberculosis (TB) worldwide are needed. In particular, new tools for diagnosis and new biomarkers are required to evaluate both pathogen and host key elements of the response to infection. Non-sputum based diagnostic tests, biomarkers predictive of adequate responsiveness to treatment, and biomarkers of risk of developing active TB disease are major goals. Here, we review the current state of the field. Although reports on new candidate biomarkers are numerous, validation and independent confirmation are rare. Efforts are needed to reduce the gap between the exploratory up-stream identification of candidate biomarkers, and the validation of biomarkers against clear clinical endpoints in different populations. This will need a major commitment from both scientists and funding bodies.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; biomarkers.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow chart of the biomarkers for active tuberculosis diagnosis. TB: tuberculosis; Ag: antigen; LAM: lipoarabinomannan; BAL: broncholavage; IP: Interferon-γ inducible protein; FACS: Fluorescence-activated cell sorting.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Flow chart of the biomarkers to monitor TB therapy efficacy. TB: tuberculosis; Ag: antigen; LAM: lipoarabinomannan; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; BAL: broncholavage; IP: Interferon-γ inducible protein; FACS: Fluorescence-activated cell sorting; IL: interleukin; PSME1: proteasome activator complex subunit 1; SAA: serum amyloid A; PET/CP: positron emission tomography/computed tomography.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Flow chart of the biomarkers for LTBI identification: LTBI: latent tuberculosis infection; TST: tuberculin skin test; IGRA: IFNγ release assay; Interferon-γ inducible protein; IL: interleukin; PSME1: proteasome activator complex subunit 1; EGF: endothelial growth factor; MCP: monocyte chemoattractant protein; TLR: toll like recepetors; sCD14: soluble CD14; FACS: Fluorescence-activated cell sorting; ICS: intracellular staining.

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