IFNG and tuberculosis: Current diagnostic tools for TBI, including interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) and tuberculin skin test (TST), cannot differentiate between ATB and TB exposure with persistent infection (TBI), nor can they predict progression from TBI to ATB (Behr et al., 2024; Lee, 2016; Singhania et al., 2018a; Drain et al., 2018).