Non-coding RNAs in pneumonia diagnosis

Pneumonia is a severe inflammatory disease responsible for high mortality worldwide, with about four million deaths each year. Early diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia and the identification of the infectious agent can significantly reduce a pneumonia severity, a likelihood of patient's hospitalization, and pandemic rise. However, the diagnostic methods currently used are not reliable enough. Therefore, certain specific non-coding RNAs circulating in the blood inside the extracellular vesicles have been considered a potential biomarker for differentiating viral and bacterial pneumonia, as well as for predictions of disease severity and complications. We reviewed microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and xeno-microRNAs, which were proposed as prognostic and diagnostic markers and potential target drugs for pneumonia.