Observational studyPloS one2023
Monocyte to Lymphocyte ratio is highly specific in diagnosing latent tuberculosis and declines significantly following tuberculosis preventive therapy: A cross-sectional and nested prospective observational study.
Observational study in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prognostic value of immune-inflammation indexes for the clinical outcomes of HIV/AIDS: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Associations between the monocyte‑lymphocyte ratio and age‑related macular degeneration among US adults: evidence from NHANES 2005-2008.International journal of retina and vitreous · 2025Article
- Development of a machine learning model for early pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis using blood test biomarkers.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Full-Blood Inflammatory Ratios Predict Length of Stay but Not Early Death in Romanian Pulmonary Tuberculosis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Association of monocyte to lymphocyte ratio with length of stay in intensive care unit in neonatal apnea modified by treatment.Translational pediatrics · 2025Article
- Immune correlates of early clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among tuberculosis household contacts in Indonesia.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Inflammatory indicators derived from complete blood counts in relation to osteoarthritis prevalence: findings from the NHANES 2007-2020 cross-sectional survey.Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) · 2025Article
- Development and Validation of a Predictive Model Using Inflammatory Biomarkers for Active Tuberculosis Risk in Diabetic Patients.Journal of inflammation research · 2025Article
- Association between inflammation indicators (MLR, NLR, SII, SIRI, and AISI) and erectile dysfunction in US adults: NHANES 2001-2004.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2024Article
- Association between monocyte to lymphocyte ratio and diabetic foot ulcer in the population of the US with diabetes based on the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data: a retrospective cross-sectional study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInterferon-gamma release assay and tuberculin skin test use is limited by costly sundries and cross-reactivity with non-tuberculous mycobacteria and Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination respectively. We investigated the Monocyte to Lymphocyte ratio (MLR) as a biomarker to overcome these limitations and for use in monitoring response to tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT).
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional and nested prospective observational study among asymptomatic adults living with Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) in Kampala, Uganda. Complete blood count (CBC) and QuantiFERON-TB® Gold-plus were measured at baseline and CBC repeated at three months. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with a high MLR and decline in MLR.
resultsWe recruited 110 adults living with HIV and on antiretroviral therapy, of which 82.5% (85/110) had suppressed viral loads, 71.8% (79/110) were female, and 73.6% (81/110) had a BCG scar. The derived MLR diagnostic cut-off was 0.35, based on which the MLR sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 12.8%, 91.6%, 45.5%, and 65.7% respectively. The average MLR declined from 0.212 (95% CI: 0.190-0.235) at baseline to 0.182 (95% CI: 0.166-0.198) after three months of TPT. A viral load of >50 copies/ml (aOR, 5.67 [1.12-28.60]) was associated with a high MLR while that of <50 copies/ml (aOR, 0.07 [0.007-0.832]) was associated with a decline in MLR.
conclusionMLR was highly specific in diagnosing latent TB and declined significantly following three months of TPT. Implications of a high MLR and decline in MLR after TPT need further evaluation in a larger cohort.
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