The tuberculosis (TB) epidemic continues to be one of the largest public health challenges affecting people globally, especially due to late diagnosis, disease monitoring, and prognosis. Currently used diagnostic tools have variable sensitivity and accessibility, and many have limited ability to differentiate between latent and active TB. In case of TB, exosomes from cells infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) have disease-specific antigens, microRNAs, and other molecular components, which make them potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. This review focuses on previously published literature regarding the role of exosomes and exosomal antigens in TB screening and prognostication. It highlights their potential as non-conventional biomarkers due to their stability in biological fluids, specificity, and the availability of less invasive sampling techniques. Moreover, it covers recent developments in techniques for isolating and characterizing exosomes and also ways in which the gaps between exosome-based biomarkers have been challenged in real-world clinical settings. In the future, research needs to prioritize large validation studies, achievement-in-exosome-based assays, and incorporation of multi-omics techniques to improve their clinical relevance. The use of exosome-based biomarkers shows promise for improving diagnostic processes for tuberculosis and may support a worldwide campaign for tuberculosis control.
Mir et al. (Thu,) studied this question.