We subjected their PBMCs to M. leprae antigen stimulation followed by RNA-seq and identified a signature gene set (CCL2/MCP-1, IL-8, JAKM, ND1, SERP, FLJ10489, LINC00659, LOC34487, LOC101928143, MIR22, and NCF1C) that might potentially be useful for rapid diagnosis of leprosy. Here, LINC00659 is linked to leprosy.