Methods of treating microbial infections in humans and animals

摘要

A method of treating a subject with a microbially-based infection, comprising the administration of a compound to the subject. The compound is able to decrease ATP levels in the microbe by at least 10% compared to controls after 24 hours in an in vitro test, without killing mammalian cells during the same time period. The decrease in ATP levels is measured by: (1) removing the cells from the testing location and putting them on ice; (2) harvesting the cells at 4 degrees C. by centrifugation and disrupting it with bead-beating in an ATP extraction buffer; (3) removing cellular debris by centrifugation at 4 degrees C., leaving an ATP-containing supernatant; (4) measuring the amount of ATP present in the supernatant by a bioluminescence assay at 4 degrees C.