99mTechnetium labelled Escherichia coli

Samples of a culture of unlabeled Escherichia coli were incubated with different concentrations of stannous chloride for various time periods. 99mTc (26.0 MBq) was added to each preparation and the results showed a labelling yield of 98% for E. coli. Since the bacterial viability of 99mTc-E. coli and E. coli did not show any statistical differences, these results demonstrate that labelling of E. coli with 99mTc does not modify the bacterial viability, and the radiolabelled bacteria may be a good model to study bacterial translocation.