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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Combined In vivo Optical and µCT Imaging to Monitor Infection, Inflammation, and Bone Anatomy in an Orthopaedic Implant Infection in Mice
Published on: October 16, 2014
Imaging of musculoskeletal bacterial infections by [124I]FIAU-PET/CT
Luis A Diaz1, Catherine A Foss, Katherine Thornton
1The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Background:
Traditional imaging techniques for the localization and monitoring of bacterial infections, although reasonably sensitive, suffer from a lack of specificity. This is particularly true for musculoskeletal infections. Bacteria possess a thymidine kinase (TK) whose substrate specificity is distinct from that of the major human TK. The substrate specificity difference has been exploited to develop a new imaging technique that can detect the presence of viable bacteria.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Eight subjects with suspected musculoskeletal infections and one healthy control were studied by a combination of [(124)I]FIAU-positron emission tomography and CT ([(124)I]FIAU-PET/CT). All patients with proven musculoskeletal infections demonstrated positive [(124)I]FIAU-PET/CT signals in the sites of concern at two hours after radiopharmaceutical administration. No adverse reactions with FIAU were observed.
Conclusions/Significance:
[(124)I]FIAU-PET/CT is a promising new method for imaging bacterial infections.
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