Although OPN and Gal-9 are elevated in various infectious diseases [13,14], we could not rule out other coexisting infections, like cryptococcosis, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Also, it was not possible to confirm all cases of EPTB microbiologically, as the collection of samples was not possible for all the cases. This evidence concerns the gene SPP1 and hepatitis B virus infection.