New Insights into Biomarkers for Evaluating Therapy Efficacy in Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Evaluating therapy efficacy is crucial for patients with tuberculosis (TB), especially those with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). The World Health Organization currently recommends sputum smear and culture as the standard methods for evaluating pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) therapy efficacy. However, these approaches have limitations including low sensitivity, lengthy culture periods, and susceptibility to contamination. There is an urgent need for dependable biomarkers to evaluate therapy efficacy in patients with PTB. Numerous new biomarkers of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and the host have been used in recent studies to evaluate PTB therapy efficacy. A systematic review and update of these biomarkers can facilitate the discovery of novel biomarkers and assessment models, as well as provide a solid scientific basis for alternative indicators of evaluating therapy efficacy. In this review we summarize the recent advancements and limitations of biomarkers used to monitor therapy efficacy, highlighting the importance of utilizing a combination of biomarkers. Although some biomarkers have potential in evaluating the efficacy of therapy in patients with PTB, they also have some limitations. Further research, validation, and optimization are required to identify the most reliable and effective alternative biomarkers and apply them to clinical practice. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40121-023-00887-x.

Human Sputum Proteomics: Advancing Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Respiratory Diseases with Enhanced Biomarker Analysis Methods

“…Pivotal studies on sputum began in the 1950-1970s, and research has progressed significantly over the past decades. Initially, investigators and clinicians examined sputum cells on stained smears and mycobacterial cultures [1][2][3][4]; today, advanced imaging techniques coupled with newly found biomarkers have the potential to evaluate the efficacy of therapies in patients with pulmonary illnesses, specifically, tuberculosis (TB) [5]. As more biomarkers are identified, the probability is greater to boost research and development of enhanced pharmaceuticals, methods to measure disease activity, and the impact of various therapeutics.…”

Human Sputum Proteomics: Advancing Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Respiratory Diseases with Enhanced Biomarker Analysis Methods

“…Pivotal studies on sputum began in the 1950s-1970s and research has progressed significantly over the past decades. Initially, investigators and clinicians examined sputum cells on stained smears and mycobacterial cultures [1][2][3][4]; today, advanced imaging techniques coupled with newly found biomarkers have the potential to evaluate the efficacy of therapies in patients with pulmonary illnesses, specifically tuberculosis (TB) [5]. As more biomarkers are identified, there is a greater probability of boosting research and development of enhanced pharmaceuticals, methods to measure disease activity, and the impact of various therapeutics.…”