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The domain with this article (http://gallium-nitrate.com/bacteria.html) was discontinued at some point, so we recovered it from https://web.archive.org/web/20161012192930/http://gallium-nitrate.com/bacteria.html. The last snapshot was in 2016.
by George Eby
[email protected]
George Eby Research Institute, Austin, Texas.
The antibacterial effects of gallium are extremely broad, since they stop all iron dependent bacteria and fungi in their tracks by immediately terminating their growth. Bacteria and fungi need iron for their reproduction, and gallium looks like iron to them. However, gallium (III) can not become gallium (II), while iron (III) can become iron (II). Consequently, bacteria cannot replicate when given gallium. Gallium (III) may be thought of as a "birth-control agent" (bacteriostatic) for bacteria. Since it does not kill them outright, they do not become resistant to gallium.
According to this World patent application WO/2007/053581 iron-dependent pathogenic microorganisms comprise: Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Yersinia, Salmonella, Chlamydia, Coxilla, Ehrlichia, Francisella, Legionella, Pasteurella, Brucella, Proteus, Hilicobacter, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Tropheryma, Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Alcaligenes, Campylobacter, Capnocytophaga, Bacillus, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Erysipelothrix, Listeria, Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus gordonii, Atopobium parvulum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Eubacterium sulci, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, ß-hemolytic streptococci, Cory neb acterium minutissimum, Microsporum audouinii, Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Microsporum canis, Sporothrix schenckii, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Pityriasis versicolor, Exophiala werneckii, Trichosporon beigelii, Malassezia furfur, Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp. and the like; including the microorganisms that are known to have become resistant to first-line antibiotics. Such microorganisms include Escherichia coli O157 (a causative organism for gastroenteritis, haemorrhagic colitis or urinary and genital tract infections), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (a causative organism for endocarditis, urinary tract infections, and wound infections), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; a causative organism for various skin infections, eye infection, wound infections, and so forth), Salmonella LO typhi (the causative organism for typhoid fever), and the like, and fungi, such as Candida albicans, Microsporum canis, Sporothrix schenckii, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Malassezia furfur, Pityriasis versicolor, Exophiala werneckii, Trichosporon beigelii, Coccidioides immitis, Histoplama capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Epidermophyton spp., Fusarium spp., Zygomyces spp., Rhizopus spp. Mucor spp., and so forth: including Helicobacter pylori.
Miscellaneous Applications of gallium compounds may be utilized in many different applications other than those described in the previous sections. For example, gallium compounds may be applied topically or directly to a body area, including an open wound and an internal organ or tissue exposed to an outer environment during surgery in addition to an external area, that needs to be protected from or is afflicted with various infections caused by pathogenic organisms. Such infections include, but not by way of limitation, skin infections, such as cellulites, folliculitis, boils, carbuncles, erysipelas, impetigo, erythrasma, paronychia, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, candidiasis (e.g., oral thrush), ring worm, tinea versicolor, etc. as well as eye infections, such as blepharitis, hordeola, conjunctivitis. Causative organisms for skin infections include, but are not limited to, species of Staphylococcus, such as S. aureus and S. epidermidis; Group A streptococci, such as Streptococcus pyogenes; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the like. Typical yeasts or fungi that cause skin infections include Candida albicans, species of genus Microsporon, such as M. auduini and M. canis; species of Trichophyton, such as T. metagrophyte and T. tonsurans, and the like. Causative organisms for eye infections include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Propionibacterium, Nocardia.spp, Bacteroides spp, Fusarium spp, and so forth. Nasal infections caused by Streptococcus penumoniae may lead to ear infection, sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.
The infections caused by these organisms have become more and more common because of the development of drug-resistant microorganisms, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as well as the increased number of immunocompromised individuals due to HIV infection or AIDS, organ transplants, treatments for autoimmune diseases, and so forth. Thus, the applications of gallium compounds for human uses as well as veterinarian uses are very beneficial especially in view of their low toxicity and low risks for generating resistant microorganisms. Other applications in the fields of food industries, agricultural industries, fishing industries and so forth are also possible."
NOTE: Probiotic (beneficial intestinal) microorganisms including species of the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Bifidobacterium are not affected by the presence of gallium because they are not iron-dependent. Since probiotic bacteria are NOT adversely affected by gallium, this is why gallium does not cause intestinal problems in animals or people. It is harmless to beneficial intestinal bacteria.
Gallium III (gallium nitrate) is antiviral to HIV/AIDS. See this article.
