JCI Insight (Jan 2022)

11C-Para-aminobenzoic acid PET imaging of S. aureus and MRSA infection in preclinical models and humans

  • Alvaro A. Ordonez,
  • Matthew F.L. Parker,
  • Robert J. Miller,
  • Donika Plyku,
  • Camilo A. Ruiz-Bedoya,
  • Elizabeth W. Tucker,
  • Justin M. Luu,
  • Dustin A. Dikeman,
  • Wojciech G. Lesniak,
  • Daniel P. Holt,
  • Robert F. Dannals,
  • Lloyd S. Miller,
  • Steven P. Rowe,
  • David M. Wilson,
  • Sanjay K. Jain

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1

Abstract

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Tools for noninvasive detection of bacterial pathogens are needed but are not currently available for clinical use. We have previously shown that para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) rapidly accumulates in a wide range of pathogenic bacteria, motivating the development of related PET radiotracers. In this study, 11C-PABA PET imaging was used to accurately detect and monitor infections due to pyogenic bacteria in multiple clinically relevant animal models. 11C-PABA PET imaging selectively detected infections in muscle, intervertebral discs, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus–infected orthopedic implants. In what we believe to be first-in-human studies in healthy participants, 11C-PABA was safe, well-tolerated, and had a favorable biodistribution, with low background activity in the lungs, muscles, and brain. 11C-PABA has the potential for clinical translation to detect and localize a broad range of bacteria.

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