Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common causes of mortality globally with a steady rise in paediatric cases in the past decade. Laboratory methods of diagnosing TB and monitoring response to treatment have limitations. Current research focuses on interrogating host- and/or pathogen-specific biomarkers to address this problem. We reviewed the literature on host-specific biomarkers in TB to determine their value in diagnosis and treatment response in TB infected and HIV/TB co-infected children on anti-tuberculosis treatment. While no single host-specific biomarker has been identified for diagnosis or treatment responses in children, several studies suggest predictive biosignatures for disease activity. Alarmingly, current data on host-specific biomarkers for diagnosing and assessing anti-tuberculosis treatment in TB/HIV co-infected children is inadequate. Various factors affecting host-specific biomarker responses should be considered in interpreting findings and designing future studies within specific clinical settings.

中文翻译：

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肺结核儿童宿主特异性诊断和替代生物标志物的综述

结核病 (TB) 是全球最常见的死亡原因之一，过去十年中儿科病例稳步上升。诊断结核病和监测治疗反应的实验室方法有其局限性。目前的研究重点是询问宿主和/或病原体特异性生物标志物以解决这个问题。我们回顾了结核病宿主特异性生物标志物的文献，以确定其在结核病感染和艾滋病毒/结核病合并感染儿童接受抗结核治疗的诊断和治疗反应中的价值。虽然尚未确定用于儿童诊断或治疗反应的单一宿主特异性生物标志物，但一些研究表明可以预测疾病活动的生物特征。令人担忧的是，目前用于诊断和评估结核病/艾滋病毒合并感染儿童抗结核治疗的宿主特异性生物标志物的数据不足。在解释研究结果和设计特定临床环境下的未来研究时，应考虑影响宿主特异性生物标志物反应的各种因素。