In vivo imaging of microorganisms

Infectious diseases are a major health problem worldwide.The incidence of infectious diseases is rising, due to theageing population, the rise in tumour therapy possibilitiesand the increase in organ transplantations, all leading toimpaired immune systems and a higher number ofimmunocompromised patients. Diagnosis and localizationof an infection can already be difficult; recognition ofwhich microorganism is causing the infection is even abigger problem. Furthermore, there is a clear need to dis-tinguish infection from inflammation, since treatment reg-imens are different and overtreatment can lead to seriousimmune suppression problems in case of an underlyinginflammatory or autoimmune disease and to the inductionof antibiotic resistance. Early recognition of the infectiousprocess and the causing microorganism is, therefore, ofinvaluable importance to be able to start the correct treat-ment as soon as possible to prevent further morbidity andmortality.