Open AccessPET imaging of TSPO expression in immune cells can assess organ-level pathophysiology in high-consequence viral infections
Author(s) -
Swati Shah,
Sanhita Sinharay,
Reema Patel,
Jeffrey Solomon,
Ji Hyun Lee,
William Schreiber-Stainthorp,
Falguni Basuli,
Xiang Zhang,
Katie R. Hagen,
Rebecca Reeder,
Paul Wakim,
Louis Huzella,
Dragan Maric,
Reed F. Johnson,
Dima A. Hammoud
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2110846119
Subject(s) - translocator protein , immune system , pathophysiology , pathology , spleen , bone marrow , medicine , immunology , lung , inflammation , neuroinflammation
Significance Ebola virus (EBOV) infection is a severe, often fatal disease with poorly understood pathophysiology. Here, we performed [18 F]-DPA-714 Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in a macaque model of EBOV infection to longitudinally track and quantify the translocator protein (TSPO), an immune cell marker. The imaging findings, along with immunohistology and other disease markers, showed increasing stem cell proliferation in the bone marrow, along with progressive monocytic and lymphocytic loss in the spleen and lungs. This study provides real-time noninvasive assessment of EBOV pathogenesis and disease progression, as well as the associated host responses, at the organ level. This approach can be similarly used to study other inflammatory and infectious diseases and to test the efficacy of newly developed therapeutics and vaccines.