Intramuscular [<sup>18</sup>F]F-FDG Administration for Successful PET Imaging of Golden Hamsters in a Maximum Containment Laboratory Setting
Hui Wang,
Jurgen Seidel,
Christopher Bartos,
Russell Byrum,
Philip J. Sayre,
Kurt Cooper,
Yu Cong,
Dong-Yun Kim,
Claudia Calcagno,
Jens H. Kuhn,
Anya Crane,
Jiro Wada,
Reed F. Johnson,
Dima A. Hammoud,
Ji Hyun Lee
Affiliations
Hui Wang
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Jurgen Seidel
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Christopher Bartos
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Russell Byrum
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Philip J. Sayre
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Kurt Cooper
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Yu Cong
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Dong-Yun Kim
Office of Biostatistics Research, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Claudia Calcagno
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Jens H. Kuhn
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Anya Crane
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Jiro Wada
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Reed F. Johnson
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Dima A. Hammoud
Center for Infectious Disease Imaging, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Ji Hyun Lee
Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Positron emission tomography (PET) is becoming an important tool for the investigation of emerging infectious diseases in animal models. Usually, PET imaging is performed after intravenous (IV) radiotracer administration. However, IV injections are difficult to perform in some small animals, such as golden hamsters. This challenge is particularly evident in longitudinal imaging studies, and even more so in maximum containment settings used to study high-consequence pathogens. We propose the use of intramuscular (IM) administration of 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]F-FDG) for PET imaging of hamsters in a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory setting. After [18F]F-FDG administration via IM or IV (through surgically implanted vascular access ports), eight hamsters underwent static or dynamic PET scans. Time–activity curves (TACs) and standardized uptake values (SUVs) in major regions of interest (ROIs) were used to compare the two injection routes. Immediately after injection, TACs differed between the two routes. At 60 min post-injection, [18F]F-FDG activity for both routes reached a plateau in most ROIs except the brain, with higher accumulation in the liver, lungs, brain, and nasal cavities observed in the IM group. IM delivery of [18F]F-FDG is an easy, safe, and reliable alternative for longitudinal PET imaging of hamsters in a BSL-4 laboratory setting.
