An international research team has found a potential test to predict active tuberculosis in advance of symptoms developing.
The gene signature blood test was developed by Professor Anne O’Garra and colleagues at the Francis Crick Institute, London, UK, and experts at BIOASTER in Lyon, France and the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
The research was published in Nature Communications yesterday. It involved following 108 close contacts of 53 tuberculosis patients in Leicester, UK, for two years.
Of those who developed active tuberculosis, 66% showed a "strong, sustained gene signature". None of those who remained healthy showed this gene signature.
The authors previously identified the full blood gene signature for active tuberculosis. They explain that this is the first study to find this specific link.
They say: "This small proof-of-principle study shows a promising new direction for tuberculosis detection and treatment, also with the prospect of intervening before individuals pose a risk of transmitting the infection to others."
Professor O’Garra says: "Treating active tuberculosis before symptoms start could spare patients and their families from unpleasant symptoms, reduce the spread of disease and offer peace of mind to people who are not going to develop active tuberculosis.
"This study was a promising proof-of-principle, offering new insights into how to develop gene signatures for active tuberculosis. The next step will be to develop and test different gene signatures in larger groups of people, with the aim of being able to offer validated tests to patients within the next decade."
Nature Communications 19 June 2018
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