Sichuan University Mar 31 2026 Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's most serious public health threats, with approximately one-quarter of the global population infected with  Mycobacterium tuberculosis . While most infections remain latent (LTBI), individuals with LTBI are at risk of progressing to active TB and potentially becoming new sources of transmission. Effective TB control, therefore, requires not only diagnosing active disease but also predicting disease progression. Although