Received by the Editorial Office: June 10, 2026
Accepted for publication: June 19, 2026
Published online: June 30, 2026
UDC: 616.24-002.5-078
DOI: 10.26212/2227-1937.2026.98.76.003
BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF SELECTED IMMUNE ACTIVATION AND CHEMOKINE BIOMARKERS FOR DIFFERENTIATING ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS AND LATENT TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION
Almagambetova A.S.1, Dilmagambetov D.S.1, Yermekbayeva K.Zh.1, Adilova A.U.2, Tanzharykova G. N.1, Zhalimova O.A.1, Kapasheva L.K.2
1NJSC «West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University», Aktobe, Kazakhstan
2SCE on REM «Aktobe Regional Phthisiopulmonology Center», Aktobe, Kazakhstan
Introduction: Immunological biomarkers are increasingly investigated for distinguishing active tuberculosis from latent tuberculosis infection, yet the structure and development of this focused research area remain insufficiently characterized.
Objective: This study aimed to map publication trends, citation patterns, leading contributors, and thematic evolution in research on selected immune activation and chemokine biomarkers used in tuberculosis diagnostic differentiation.
Materials and Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using records retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus. The search targeted original research articles published from 1978 to 2025 and focused on tuberculosis, latent tuberculosis infection, active tuberculosis, diagnostic performance, and selected biomarkers, including HLA-DR, CD38, MCP-1/CCL2, and RANTES/CCL5. After deduplication and eligibility screening, 83 original articles were included. Bibliometric analysis and visualization were performed using Biblioshiny from the bibliometrix package in R (version 4.5.2), launched through RStudio (version 2026.01.0+392).
Results: The final dataset included 83 articles published in 49 sources and authored by 662 researchers. The mean number of co-authors per article was 8.94, whereas international co-authorship was limited to 2.41%. The average citation rate was 43.92 citations per document. The University of Cape Town and Emory University were the most productive institutions. PLoS One, Frontiers in Immunology, and Tuberculosis were the leading publication venues. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified tuberculosis, biomarkers, cytokines, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and LTBI as dominant themes.
Discussion: The findings demonstrate that the research field has evolved from isolated immunological observations toward a more structured biomarker-oriented diagnostic direction. At the same time, the low level of international co-authorship and concentration of publications in a limited number of institutions indicate the need for multicenter validation, harmonized analytical protocols, and standardized criteria for evaluating biomarker performance across different populations.
Conclusion: Research on selected immune activation and chemokine biomarkers for tuberculosis diagnostic differentiation is a specialized but influential field. The evidence base shows thematic consolidation, institutional concentration, and limited international collaboration, indicating the need for broader multicenter research and methodological standardization.
Keywords: tuberculosis, latent tuberculosis infection, chemokine biomarkers, immune activation biomarkers, diagnosis
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