Diagnostic Potential of Circulating Mir-29a for Early Detection of Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Abstract
Background:
Tuberculosis remains a major global health concern, with delayed diagnosis contributing to ongoing transmission and poor outcomes. Circulating microRNAs have emerged as potential biomarkers for early detection.
AIM:
To evaluate circulating miRNA-29a as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 49 microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB patients. miR-29a expression was quantified using RT-PCR. Diagnostic performance was assessed using ROC curve analysis.
Results:
miR-29a expression was significantly elevated in TB cases and showed a positive correlation with bacillary load. The Δ Ct miR-29a demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy with sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 90%, and AUC of 0.95 (p = 0.001).
Conclusion:
Circulating miR-29a is a promising non-invasive biomarker for early TB diagnosis with excellent diagnostic performance. Further large-scale studies are required for validation.