In order to understand the T cell immune status of active tuberculosis (ATB) patients, the study compared the expression levels of T cell immune molecules and the proportion of T cell functional subsets between ATB patients and healthy controls (HC). A total of 21 ATB patients and 10 HC were enrolled from December 2020 to May 2021. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the participants, and flow cytometry was performed for surface and intracellular staining to investigate the proportion and functional status of peripheral blood T cells. Fisher’s exact probability test and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. The result showed that the proportion of Tfh in CD4^＋ T cells was significantly lower in ATB patients than that in HC group (P<0.05), and the proportions of naive T cells, progenitor exhausted T cells in CD8^＋ T cells were lower in ATB patients compared to HC, while terminal exhausted T cells were higher (P<0.05). The expression of CD62L on CD4^＋ T cells was significantly lower in the ATB group (P＝0.01). The expression of TIM-3 and CD127 on CD8^＋ T cells as well as T-bet and TCF1 in CD8^＋ T cells in the ATB group were also significantly lower than those in the HC group, while KLRG1, PD1, TIGIT, and CD69 were higher (P<0.05). In conclusion, T cells from active tuberculosis patients exhibit a unique immune phenotype characterized by reduced pro-inflammatory capacity and increased anti-inflammatory capacity, meanwhile exacerbated differentiation towards an exhausted phenotype in CD8^＋ T cells.