18F-fluoromannitol

18F-fluoromannitol is a radiopharmaceutical positron emission tomography (PET) tracer designed for the molecular imaging of bacterial infections. It is a fluorine-18 labeled analog of D-mannitol, a sugar alcohol that is specifically transported and metabolized by a wide range of pathogenic bacteria, including *Staphylococcus aureus* and *Escherichia coli*, via the mannitol-specific phosphotransferase system (PTS). Unlike the standard PET tracer 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which accumulates in both mammalian inflammatory cells and bacteria, 18F-fluoromannitol is not significantly taken up by mammalian cells, allowing for the non-invasive differentiation between sterile inflammation and active bacterial infection. This specificity makes it a valuable tool for diagnosing deep-seated infections such as prosthetic joint infections, endocarditis, and osteomyelitis.

Other names

2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-mannitol2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-mannitolfluoromannitol F-18