ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is amongst the largest infectious causes of death worldwide and there is a need for a time- and resource-effective diagnostic method. In this novel and exploratory study, we show the potential of using buccal swabs to collect human DNA and investigate the DNA methylation (DNAm) signatures as a diagnostic tool for TB. METHODS: Buccal swabs were collected from pulmonary TB patients (n= 7), TB exposed (n= 7), and controls (n= 9) in Sweden. Using Illumina MethylationEPIC array the DNAm status was determined. RESULTS: We identified 5644 significant differentially methylated CpG sites between the patients and controls. Performing the analysis on a validation cohort of samples collected in Kenya and Peru (patients, n=26; exposed, n=9; control, n=10) confirmed the DNAm signature. We identified a TB consensus disease module, significantly enriched in TB-associated genes. Lastly, we used machine learning to identify a panel of seven CpG sites discriminative for TB and developed a TB classifier. In the validation cohort the classifier performed with an AUC of 0.94, sensitivity of 0.92, and specificity of 1. CONCLUSION: In summary, the result from this study shows clinical implications of using DNAm signatures from buccal swabs to explore new diagnostic strategies for TB.
