Patent ID: 8137904

Claim:
A method for diagnosis by imaging wounded or inflamed tissue inside of a live subject, comprising: identifying a subject suspected of having an internal wound or inflammation to be tested for the presence or absence of internal wounded tissue or internal inflamed tissue; systemically administering to the subject in whom the presence or absence of a wounded tissue or inflamed tissue is to be detected, a bacterium, wherein: the bacterium encodes a protein that is detectable by imaging in the subject or encodes a protein that induces a signal detectable by imaging; the bacterium replicates in the subject; the bacterium is not pathogenic to the subject and is recognized by the immune system of the subject; the bacterium is not targeted; and after a sufficient time for the bacterium to accumulate in wounded or inflamed tissues inside of the subject, imaging the detectable bacterium inside of the live subject to detect accumulation of the bacterium in the subject, and thereby imaging wounded or inflamed tissues inside of the live subject, wherein imaging the accumulation indicates the location of wounded tissue or inflamed tissue inside of the subject.