Objectives: 67Ga-Citrate has been extensively used for infection and inflammation imaging for the past four decades but has limitations. In the present study, we explored the ability of 68Ga-Citrate to detect Staphylococcus aureus (Staph A) infection in rats and further studied its ability to localize intra-abdominal infection in a patient.
Methods: An infection was induced in male Wistar rats by injecting Staph A in the right thigh muscle. In this study a simple method was described for the preparation of 68Ga-Citrate with > 99% yield and purity. 68Ga-Citrate (15 MBq/rat and 150 MBq/patient) was injected intravenously and the images were acquired for 10 min each.
Results: 68Ga-Citrate uptake was moderate at the infection lesion within 5 min post injection but intense focal uptake was visualized from 30 min to 6 hr post-injection in rats. Cardiac blood pool and liver activity decreased during the same period of study. In the patient studied, an infected area in the abdomen at the site of recent appendectomy was detected within 30min post-injection of 68Ga-Citrate, which was consistent with CT and microbiology findings.
Conclusion: A simple method of preparation of 68Ga-Citrate with > 99% yield and purity was described, suitable for routine clinical work. Our results showed 68Ga-Citrate is capable of detecting Staph A infection in rats and an intraabdominal infection in a post-operative patient. These findings indicate the high potential of 68Ga-Citrate for clinical utility.