CD4+CD8+ double-positive T cells are associated with severity of tuberculosis
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology·
- DOI
- 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1887199
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings suggest that peripheral double-positive T cell percentage could serve as a non-invasive biomarker for TB severity stratification, potentially supporting clinical decision-making in tuberculosis management.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study investigated the relationship between CD4+CD8+ double-positive T cells and tuberculosis susceptibility, severity, and treatment outcomes, and explored the diagnostic and prognostic value of these cells in active TB.
Study design
The study used Mendelian randomization analysis of 731 immune cell traits and 895 TB patients, followed by clinical validation in a cohort of 647 active TB patients and 632 healthy controls. A random forest model was constructed to distinguish severe from mild active TB.
Population and setting
The validation cohort included 647 patients with active tuberculosis and 632 healthy controls. No geographic or demographic details were provided in the supplied abstract.
Main findings
The percentage of double-positive T cells among peripheral leukocytes was significantly lower in active TB patients than in healthy controls and inversely correlated with disease severity. Double-positive T cells showed higher IFN-γ production compared to CD8+ single-positive T cells and correlated positively with Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific IFN-γ response. A random forest model incorporating double-positive T cell percentage achieved strong discriminatory performance between severe and mild TB cases.
Public-health relevance
The findings suggest that peripheral double-positive T cell percentage could serve as a non-invasive biomarker for TB severity stratification, potentially supporting clinical decision-making in tuberculosis management.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full assessment of study limitations, including sample selection criteria, potential confounders, generalizability across populations, and validation of the predictive model in independent cohorts, requires review of the complete original paper.
GIDS interpretation
The article was classified under Tuberculosis with topics in Diagnostics and Treatment, reflecting its focus on a potential biomarker for disease severity assessment. The peer-reviewed journal article provides mechanistic and clinical evidence that may inform surveillance context when integrated with broader epidemiological data.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 7 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.