Assessment of Validity of a Blood-Based 3-Gene Signature Score for Progression and Diagnosis of Tuberculosis, Disease Severity, and Treatment Response

Key Points Question How does a previously described blood-based 3-gene tuberculosis score perform as a screening test and a disease monitoring tool for all stages of tuberculosis? Findings In this nested case-contral study, the 3-gene tuberculosis score was associated with progression from latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection to active tuberculosis 6 months prior to sputum conversion with 86% sensitivity and 84% specificity, diagnosed patients with active tuberculosis with 90% sensitivity and 70% specificity, and correlated with treatment response and the severity of lung pathology. Meaning The 3-gene tuberculosis score can be implemented as a rapid, blood-based screening and triage test with the required World Health Organization target product profiles for the accurate detection and tracking of progressive, active, and treated tuberculosis disease.