Diagnostic Performance of Combined Routine Inflammatory Biomarkers for the Identification of Active Tuberculosis

Introduction

Conventional diagnostic approaches for tuberculosis (TB) often require prolonged periods to yield definitive results, which may delay timely clinical decision-making. Host-derived inflammatory biomarkers reflecting innate immune responses have gained increasing attention; however, the diagnostic value of integrating the long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) with routinely available acute-phase proteins and hematological parameters remains insufficiently explored. We hypothesized that a multiparametric inflammatory panel reflecting systemic inflammation and innate immune responses could improve the diagnostic performance for TB. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of infection-related biomarkers, including PTX3, C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum amyloid A (SAA), together with hematological parameters (lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and platelets), and to investigate whether different biomarker combinations improve the identification of active TB. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, peripheral blood samples were analyzed using a Sysmex XN-1000 hematology analyzer. CRP and SAA levels were measured using chemiluminescence, and PTX3 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.