Advances in serological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis

Introduction: tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious pathology of bacterial origin that is transmitted mainly by air. This disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and its main area of involvement is the lungs. Clinically, tuberculosis can manifest itself from a non-communicable and asymptomatic latent infection (LTBI) to a highly transmissible active disease. An essential aspect to obtain adequate control of the disease is the detection and diagnosis of both infectious and active cases, in order to interrupt the chain of TB transmission.Objectives: to evaluate the usefulness, efficacy and clinical accuracy of the serological and molecular methods currently used to detect latent tuberculosis.Methods: a bibliographic review was carried out using the PRISMA method. Clinical studies and systematic reviews were included, highlighting those with relevant information on the diagnostic advances used in laboratories for the detection of TB.Results: currently, the interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) and the tuberculin skin test (TST) are used to establish the diagnosis of TB. However, molecular tests such as GeneXpert MTB/RIF, LAMP, PCR have revolutionized the diagnosis of active tuberculosis by offering significant advances in terms of speed, accuracy and accessibility.Conclusions: tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis include different traditional techniques such as microscopy and culture, as well as innovative molecular and immunodiagnostic tests. However, each of these strategies has its strengths and limitations, so this topic remains a necessary area of research to achieve the eradication of the disease