Clinical and genomic responses to ultra-short course chemotherapy in spinal tuberculosis

Traditional treatments for spinal tuberculosis (TB) involve chemotherapy and surgery. In the present study, it has been identified that chemotherapy lasting <6 months [ultra-short course chemotherapy (UCCT)], rather than the 6–18 months of the traditional regimen, is effective in sustaining TB clearance following complete surgical debridement. This current study aims to compare the changes in peripheral blood gene expression prior to and following UCCT, subsequent to complete debridement of spinal TB lesions. The study includes 5 patients without TB and 27 patients with spinal, divided into three groups: Group 1 (untreated group, n=8); group 2 (UCCT treatment group, n=9); and group 3 (UCCT treatment 1 year follow-up group, n=10). Gene changes were detected using DNA microarray analysis, confirmed through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and the results were examined using the DAVID Knowledgebase to identify the pathways and functions of differentially expressed genes. TB lesions were active in group 1, while groups 2 and 3 showed no signs of active TB, as indicated by clinical manifestations and imaging. Comparison of the transcription profiles of the control and study groups showed that treatment of spinal TB resulted in upregulation of genes that are associated with immune response pathways; RT-qPCR produced similar findings. In conclusion, these results indicate that UCCT is an effective treatment against TB following complete surgical debridement. Furthermore, DNA microarray analysis proved a useful tool to evaluate the effects of spinal TB treatment on the expression of genes associated with immune response pathways.