Ethics statements
Ninety-six 6–8-week age of the specific pathogen-free (SPF) female
BALB/c mice were purchased from Beijing Vital River Laboratory Animal
Technology Company Limited (Beijing, China), placed and fed under
infection barrier conditions in a negative pressure animal room in the
Eighth Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital (Beijing,
China). Animal experiments strictly followed the rules and regulations
of the PLA General Hospital for the management and use of laboratory
animals. After the whole blood from 10 confirmed TB patients and 15
healthy people recruited in the Eighth Medical Center of the Chinese PLA
General Hospital were routinely tested, the remaining whole blood
samples were used to perform RT-qPCR verification. The study was
approved respectively by the Animal Ethical Committee and the Medical
Ethics Committee of the Eighth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital
(approval 202209151022).