In one aspect, provided herein is a method for detecting tuberculosis in a subject, comprising (a) determining a level of one or more host immune system biomarkers in a sputum sample obtained from the subject； and (b) comparing the levels of the biomarkers in the sputum sample to one or more reference values； wherein the levels of the biomarkers in the sputum sample compared to the reference values are indicative of the presence or absence of tuberculosis in the subject.
