The human response to invading fungi includes a series of events that detect, kill, or clear the fungi. If the metabolic host response is unable to eliminate the fungi, an
infection ensues. Some of the host response's metabolic events to fungi can be imaged with molecules labelled with
radionuclides. Several important clinical applications have been found with radiolabelled biomolecules of
inflammation. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose is the tracer that has been most widely investigated in the host defence of fungi. This tracer has added value in the early detection of
infection, in staging and visualising dissemination of
infection, and in monitoring antifungal treatment. Radiolabelled
antimicrobial peptides showed promising results, but large prospective studies in
fungal infection are lacking. Other tracers have also been used in imaging events of the host response, such as the migration of white blood cells at sites of
infection, nutritional immunity in
iron metabolism, and radiolabelled
monoclonal antibodies. Many tracers are still at the preclinical stage. Some tracers require further studies before translation into clinical use. The application of therapeutic
radionuclides offers a very promising clinical application of these tracers in managing drug-resistant fungi.