Abstract: Pulmonary tuberculosis is chronic respiratory infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). According to the 2012 World Health Organization (WHO) report, about one third of the global population was infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, of which one-tenth people eventually developed with TB disease. China is one of the 22 TB high-burden countries in the world, has about 5 million patients, ranking second in the world. Therefore, TB has become a public health issue in China. Current research is mainly focused on tuberculosis susceptibility genes and immune protection. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a length of about 22 in eukaryotes NT of small non-coding RNA molecules. MiRNA has become the focus of biological research in nearly 20 years, which is linked with the specific site of the target gene mRNA, inhibited the expression of target genes for proteins, regulated its biological development and plays an important role in the development of the disease. Many studies have shown that miRNA play an important role in host-pathogenic immune networks, are also associated with the occurrence and development of bacterial diseases of the lungs. In-depth of miRNA function in TB disease could provide new direction for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Therefore, the author summarizes the advances in miRNA associated with tuberculosis, which could create opportunities for TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary, microRNAs, Biological markers