title: Molecular imaging of influenza and other emerging respiratory viral infections.
abstract: Research on the pathogenesis and therapy of influenza and other emerging respiratory viral infections would be aided by methods that directly visualize pathophysiologic processes in patients and laboratory animals. At present, imaging of diseases, such as swine-origin H1N1 influenza, is largely restricted to chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT), which can detect pulmonary structural changes in severely ill patients but are more limited in characterizing the early stages of illness, differentiating inflammation from infection or tracking immune responses. In contrast, imaging modalities, such as positron emission tomography, single photon emission CT, magnetic resonance imaging, and bioluminescence imaging, which have become useful tools for investigating the pathogenesis of a range of disease processes, could be used to advance in vivo studies of respiratory viral infections in patients and animals. Molecular techniques might also be used to identify novel biomarkers of disease progression and to evaluate new therapies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. mbray@niaid.nih.gov
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bray
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lawler
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paragas
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Jahrling
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mollura
mesh_terms: D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000821:virology; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging