KLRG1+CD28⁻CD57+ Ag85A-specific CD8+ T cells mark a severity-associated terminal-differentiation imprint in pulmonary tuberculosis
Background Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is characterized by prolonged host–pathogen interaction, chronic granulomatous inflammation, and sustained exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) antigens. How Mtb antigen-specific CD8+ T cell differentiation states relate to clinical disease activity and severity remains i...