Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39445833›Full record

SynthesisJournal of clinical microbiology2024

Host blood protein biomarkers to screen for tuberculosis disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mary Gaeddert, Kerstin Glaser, Bih H Chendi, Ayten Sultanli, Lisa Koeppel, Emily L MacLean, Tobias Broger, Claudia M Denkinger

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of clinical microbiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Discovery and validation of novel plasma protein biomarkers for severe tuberculosis patients.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Host- and pathogen-related determinants of pulmonaryEuropean respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mary Gaeddert *Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6713-3495
Kerstin Glaser *Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0009-0001-9333-328X
Bih H ChendiDivision of Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Ayten SultanliInstitute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Lisa KoeppelDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Emily L MacLeanNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9272-0985
Tobias BrogerDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Claudia M DenkingerDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7216-7067

Funding

Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF) 8029802812
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Non-sputum tests are needed to improve tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and close the diagnostic gap. The World Health Organization's target product profile (TPP) for point-of-care (POC) screening tests requires a minimum sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 70%. Our objective was to identify host blood protein biomarkers meeting TPP criteria. A systematic review was conducted and reported following PRISMA guidelines. Data extraction and quality assessment with Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) were completed for the included studies. Heterogeneity was assessed. For biomarkers reporting sensitivity and specificity in at least four studies, a random-effects meta-analysis was performed for biomarkers with similar cut-offs. We screened 4,651 citations and included 65 studies that enrolled 16,010 participants and evaluated 156 host proteins. Most (47/65) studies enrolled adult pulmonary TB (PTB), with 15 studies in adult extra-pulmonary TB and 5 in children. Small early-stage discovery studies with case-control design were common (24/65) and had a high risk of bias. For adult PTB, CRP, IP-10, NCAM-1, and SAA met TPP criteria in high-quality studies. There was a high degree of heterogeneity in biomarker cut-offs and study design. CRP at 10 mg/L cut-off was meta-analyzed from 10 studies; pooled sensitivity 86% [95% confidence interval (CI): 80-95] and pooled specificity 67% (95% CI: 54-79). In people living with HIV (six studies), CRP pooled sensitivity was 93% (95% CI: 90-95), and pooled specificity was 59% (95% CI: 40-78). We identified promising biomarkers that performed well in high-quality studies. Data overall are limited and highly heterogenous. Further standardized validation across subgroups in prospective studies is needed before translating into POC assays. IMPORTANCE: To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive systematic review of host blood protein biomarkers for tuberculosis (TB), and we identified promising biomarkers for a TB screening test.

Indexed as

BiomarkersBlood ProteinsTuberculosisAdultChildHumansMass ScreeningSensitivity and SpecificityBiomarkersBlood Proteinsbiomarkerhost proteinscreeningtuberculosis

Identifiers

PMID39445833
PMCPMC11559064

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.