HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Goldenberg, D. M. Articles by Walzer, P. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Goldenberg, D. M. Articles by Walzer, P. D.

Immunoscintigraphy of Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in AIDS Patients

Garden State Cancer Center at the Center for Molecular Medicine and Immunology, Newark, New Jersey
Division of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Newark, New Jersey
Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey
Immunomedics, Inc., Morris Plains, New Jersey
VA Medical Center and Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: David M. Goldenberg, ScD, MD, Garden State Cancer Center at the Center for Molecular Medicine and Immunology, One Bruce Street Newark, New Jersey 07103.

ABSTRACT

The diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) currently relies upon cytological demonstration of the organism in sputum or bronchoscopy specimens. The purpose of this study was to develop a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody (Mab) against Pneumocystis carinii (P. carinii) and to evaluate its use for imaging PCP. Methods: We studied 16 HIV-infected patients with pneumonia in order to evaluate a new Mab-based imaging method for diagnosing PCP. Most patients were managed for opportunistic pneumonia associated with AIDS, including standard cytological tests, and, in all cases, intensive chemotherapy. Prior to the clinical study, the Mab raised to P. carinii was shown to react with human P. carinii but not with rat P. carinii or human white blood cells. Results: After labeling a 1-mg Mab Fab' fragment with 30 mCi of ^99mTc, the presence or absence of PCP could be confirmed in six of seven or seven of eight assessable patients, respectively, by external photoscanning within 24 hr. This shows a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 86.7%. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that PCP can be diagnosed by a noninvasive imaging method employing a small dose of a ^99mTc-labeled showing specificity for the infectious organism, since patients with P. carinii-free pneumonia were correctly negative in 87.5% of cases. Rapid diagnosis and organ-localization of other infectious lesions with organism-specific, radiolabeled Mabs may be feasible.

Key Words: antibody imaging • diagnosis • immunoscintigraphy • Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia • radioimmunodetection

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Dadachova, A. Nakouzi, R. A. Bryan, and A. Casadevall Ionizing radiation delivered by specific antibody is therapeutic against a fungal infection PNAS, September 16, 2003; 100(19): 10942 - 10947. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. J. Linke, S. M. Sunkin, R. P. Andrews, J. R. Stringer, and P. D. Walzer Expression, Structure, and Location of Epitopes of the Major Surface Glycoprotein of Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. carinii Clin. Vaccine Immunol., January 1, 1998; 5(1): 50 - 57. [Abstract] [Full Text]