Abstract
Purpose
The uptake of 99mTc-UBI (29–41) was evaluated at sites of bacterial infections in rabbits before and after treatment with ciprofloxacin.
Methods
Staphylococcus aureus susceptible to ciprofloxacin was used to induce a focal infection in each rabbit of group 1 (G1), group 2 (G2), and group 3 (G3) with 2 × 104, 2 × 106, and 2 × 108 colony forming units (CFU), respectively. After 24 h, images of infected thighs (target: T) and contralateral thighs (nontarget: NT) were acquired. Animals then received ciprofloxacin intramuscularly for 5 days followed by imaging on the third and fifth days. The control group 4 (G4) was imaged at days 1, 3, and 5 under the same acquisition parameters. Group 5 (G5) was employed to study biodistribution of the peptide.
Results
Increases in (T/NT) ratios in G1, G2, and G3 were observed from 5 min onwards with maximum values at 60 min. G3 revealed the highest accumulation of the peptide. Growth of the same strain of S. aureus on blood agar medium was visualized after fine needle aspiration. After ciprofloxacin treatment, the images for G1–G3 resulted in significantly decreased (P < 0.05) T/NT values on the third and fifth days that correlated with reduction in number of viable bacteria. No significant difference (P < 0.05) in left to right thigh ratios in the control group (G4) was observed. Biodistribution of the peptide showed rapid removal of tracer from circulation through the kidneys.
Conclusions
99m Tc-UBI (29–41) accumulation directly correlates with the number of viable bacteria. This infection localization agent can be utilized for monitoring efficacy and duration of antibiotic treatment.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to Dr. M. M. Welling, Scientist, Pre-clinical Research Molecular Imaging, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, for his academic discussions and cooperation. In addition, we are indebted to all the staff of Punjab Institute of Nuclear Medicine (PINUM), particularly Mr. Muhammad Yousuf and Mr. Athar Hussain Khan. Dr. Ghulam Muhammad and Dr. Muhammad Saqib of Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, need special mentioning for their extended cooperation in the provision of rabbits and their housing, the provision of animal ciprofloxacin, and expertise in animal injections. Mr. Muhammad Ishtiaq of the radioimmunoassay section of PINUM helped in the write up.
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This study was conducted at Punjab Institute of Nuclear Medicine (PINUM), Faisalabad, in collaboration with the Isotope Production Division (IPD) of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad, Pakistan, and the Clinical Medicine & Surgery Department of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. There was no sponsor for this research activity. Dr. Muhammad Saeed Akhtar, the first author of this article, is a Ph.D. (Nuclear Medicine) fellow at the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Akhtar, M.S., Khan, M.E., Khan, B. et al. An imaging analysis of 99mTc-UBI (29–41) uptake in S. aureus infected thighs of rabbits on ciprofloxacin treatment. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 35, 1056–1064 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-007-0671-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-007-0671-3