Niopam 300

During the study period, two CT scanners were in use at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust where the study was conducted. The first was Ingenuity 128 (Phillips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands) and the second was Optima CT660 (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA). These were calibrated weekly to ensure that quality assurance testing was met for the Hounsfield Unit (HU) density of air (HU = –1000) and water (HU = 0). Arterial and portovenous phase scans were obtained using intravenous (IV) administration of contrast medium (100 mL fixed dose of Iopamidol, Niopam 300, Bracco, Buckinghamshire, UK). The timings of different phase scans were standardized, first with an unenhanced scan, then the arterial phase performed at 10 to 20s, and finally the portovenous scan at 65s.

Computed Tomography (CT) scans were performed on sedated animals at 3, 7, 11 and 15 weeks following infectious challenge (16 slice Lightspeed CT scanner, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA), as previously described (23 (link)). Niopam 300 (2ml/kg i.v., Bracco, Milan, Itay) was used as a contrast agent. An expert medical consultant radiologist with expertise in respiratory diseases, including in non-human primates assessed the scans blinded to the animals’ treatment and clinical status. The number and lobar distribution of pulmonary lesions and other pathological abnormalities including nodular conglomeration, cavitation, consolidation (associated with alveolar pneumonia), lobular collapse, and the ‘tree-in-bud’ pattern associated with bronchocentric pneumonia, were recorded. Upper airways were assessed for bronchocele and wall thickening. Other body tissues were scored for enlargement, necrosis, cavitation and extrapulmonary foci of infection: lung associated lymph nodes, liver, kidneys, and spleen. Findings were scored, and composite scores for tuberculosis disease burden (a relative score comprising the following factors; number of lesions, presence and extent of physiological changes (26 (link)) pneumonia (sum of consolidation & tree-in-bud morphology scores) and total CT score (the sum of scores attributed to each tissue) were calculated.