Ricerc@Sapienza

There is an increased need to find non-invasive tools for early diagnosis and follow-up of infections. Nuclear medicine techniques may be used to diagnose, localize and evaluate the severity and the extent of infections before the occurrence of anatomical abnormalities. This review focuses on different approaches based on radiolabelled cells, peptides and antibodies or [ 18 F]FDG to image infective diseases in agreement with what is being jointly evaluated by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM).

In the field of inflammation/infection imaging, nuclear medicine techniques offer non-invasive tools to detect early pathophysiological changes before the development of anatomical changes detected by radiological procedures and, often, before clinical onset of symptoms.

Migrant centres, as other institutions hosting closed or semi-open communities, may face specific challenges in preventing and controlling communicable disease transmission, particularly during times of large sudden influx. However, there is dearth of evidence on how to prioritise investments in aspects such as human resources, medicines and vaccines, sanitation and disinfection, and physical infrastructures to prevent/control communicable disease outbreaks.