18F-FDG PET imaging for identifying the dynamics of intestinal disease caused
by SFTSV infection in a mouse model.
ABSTRACT
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease
that causes fever, enteritis, thrombocytopenia, and leucopenia and can
be fatal in up to 30% of cases. However, the mechanism of severe disease
is not fully understood. Molecular imaging approaches, such as positron-emission
tomography (PET), are functional in vivo imaging techniques that provide
real-time dynamics of disease progression, assessments of pharmacokinetics,
and diagnoses for disease progression. Molecular imaging also potentially
provides useful approaches to explore the pathogenesis of viral infections.
Thus, the purpose of this study was to image the pathological features
of SFTSV infection in vivo by PET imaging. In a mouse model, we showed
that
18F-FDG accumulations clearly identified the intestinal tract site as a pathological
site. We also demonstrated that 18F-FDG PET imaging can assess disease progression and response to antiserum
therapy within the same individual. This is the first report demonstrating
a molecular imaging strategy for SFTSV infection. Our results provide potentially
useful information for preclinical studies such as the elucidation of the
mechanism of SFTSV infection in vivo and the assessment of drugs for SFTS
treatment.