Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is known to be related to an elevated risk of infections because of its pathobiology and the use of immunosuppressive therapies. Reactivation of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection is a serious issue in patients with RA, especially after receiving anti‐TNFs therapy. TNF blocking reinforces the TB granuloma formation and maintenance and the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). After intercurrent of TB infection, the standard recommendation is that the treatment with TNF inhibitors to be withheld despite its impressive effect on suppression of inflammation until the infection has resolved. Knowing pathways and mechanisms that are common between two diseases might help to find the mechanistic basis of this comorbidity, as well as provide us a new approach to apply them as therapeutic targets or diagnostic biomarkers. Also, screening for latent TB before initiation of an anti‐TNF therapy can minimize complications. This review summarizes the shared gene signature between TB and RA and discusses the biomarkers for early detection of this infection, and screening procedures as well.

中文翻译：

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结核病合并类风湿性关节炎：基因特征、相关生物标志物和筛查

众所周知，类风湿关节炎 (RA) 与感染风险升高有关，因为它的病理生物学和免疫抑制疗法的使用。潜伏性结核 (TB) 感染的再激活是 RA 患者的一个严重问题，尤其是在接受抗 TNFs 治疗后。TNF 阻断增强了 TB 肉芽肿的形成和维持以及结核分枝杆菌 (Mtb) 的生长。在并发 TB 感染后，标准建议是停止使用 TNF 抑制剂进行治疗，尽管它在抑制炎症方面的效果显着，直到感染消退。了解两种疾病之间共有的途径和机制可能有助于找到这种合并症的机制基础，并为我们提供一种将它们用作治疗靶点或诊断生物标志物的新方法。此外，在开始抗 TNF 治疗之前筛查潜伏性结核病可以最大限度地减少并发症。这篇综述总结了 TB 和 RA 之间的共同基因特征，并讨论了早期检测这种感染的生物标志物，以及筛查程序。