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Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Analysis of 18FDG PET/CT Imaging as a Tool for Studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Treatment in Non-human Primates
Published on: September 5, 2017
PET imaging of mycobacterial infection: transforming the pipeline for tuberculosis drug development
Janke Kleynhans1, Christiaan A Gouws2, Thomas Ebenhan3,4
1Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Radiopharmaceutical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
Improved PET/CT radiopharmaceuticals can better visualize and monitor tuberculosis and enable real-time pharmacological drug profiling in vivo. PET/CT imaging can therefore be used to study in animal models the changes in tissue pathology in tuberculosis infection, such as mycobacterial latency, tuberculoma formation, lung cavitation or calcification, and extrapulmonary disease. This Perspective aims to critically evaluate the current and future contribution and role of PET imaging in anti-tuberculosis drug development.
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