Pulmonary Aspergillosis Rat Model

A previously described rat model of pulmonary aspergillosis was used for the in vivo experiments [22 (link)]. The introduction of A. fumigatus spores into animals, injection of radiolabeled siderophores and small animal imaging were carried out under 2% isoflurane anesthesia (FORANE, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA) to minimize animal suffering and prevent animal motion. Infection in the lung of immunodeficient rats was established by intratracheal inoculation of 100 μL of A. fumigatus spores (10⁹ CFU/mL A. fumigatus ATCC 46645; American Type Culture Collection) using the TELE PACK VET X LED system equipped with a flexible endoscope (https://www.karlstorz.com/cps/rde/xbcr/karlstorz_assets/ASSETS/3386919.pdf, accessed on 20 August 2021; Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG, Tuttlingen, Germany). Depending on the development of the infection, experimental animals underwent an ex vivo biodistribution study or PET/CT imaging, typically 2–4 days after inoculation.