Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic profiling of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid identifies microbial and host biomarkers of drug-resistant tuberculosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) undermines global TB control, yet how resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains interact with the lung microbiome, phage communities, and local host immunity remains poorly defined.

Methods

In a prospective cohort of 130 pulmonary TB patients (49 DR-TB, 81 drug-susceptible TB [DS-TB] patients), bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was subjected to paired metagenomic and transcriptomic profiling. Microbial and bacteriophage community structures were assessed by diversity metrics and differential abundance testing, whereas host responses were characterized by gene expression, pathway enrichment, and immune cell deconvolution. A Random Forest model was trained to evaluate the diagnostic potential of host transcriptional si

SUBMITTER: Zhang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12894345 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature