A combination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-derived sRNA and endogenous miRNA in circulation as novel auxiliary diagnostic markers for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

Objective Circulating non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) have recently emerged as promising biomarkers for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). However, little is known about the expression patterns and combined diagnostic potential of M. tuberculosis-derived sRNA (TB-sRNA) and endogenous miRNA in the circulation of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Methods Illumina sequencing by synthesis technology and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to identify TB-sRNAs in serum and sputum from patients infected with drug-resistant TB, drug-sensitive TB (DS-TB), and controls. Simultaneously, four endogenous miRNAs - miR-29c, miR-132, miR-320b, and miR-548e - were chosen for further study. The diagnostic performance of significantly altered sRNAs and miRNAs was analysed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Illumina sequencing by synthesis combined with individual quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction verification successfully identified one TB-encoded sRNA, named TB-sRNA015, and endogenous miR-132 were significantly elevated in patients with MDR-TB compared to patients with DS-TB and controls (P Conclusions The combination of serum sRNA015 and miR-132 may serve as an auxiliary diagnostic tool for MDR-TB infection.