Lee IK, Jacome DA, Cho JK, Tu V, Young AJ, Dominguez T, Northrup JD, Etersque JM, Lee HS, Ruff A, Aklilu O, Bittinger K, Glaser LJ, Dorgan D, Hadjiliadis D, Kohli RM, Mach RH, Mankoff DA, Doot RK, Sellmyer MA. Imaging sensitive and drug-resistant bacterial infection with [11C]-trimethoprim. J Clin Invest. 2022 Sep 15;132(18):e156679. doi: 10.1172/JCI156679. PMID: 36106638; PMCID: PMC9479701.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Several molecular imaging strategies can identify bacterial infections in humans. PET affords the potential for sensitive infection detection deep within the body. Among PET-based approaches, antibiotic-based radiotracers, which often target key bacterial-specific enzymes, have considerable promise. One question for antibiotic radiotracers is whether antimicrobial resistance (AMR) reduces specific accumulation within bacteria, diminishing the predictive value of the diagnostic test.