In Vitro and in Vivo biological activities of iron chelators and gallium nitrate against Acinetobacter baumannii

We investigated the ability of compounds interfering with iron metabolism to inhibit the growth of Acinetobacter baumannii. Iron restriction with transferrin or 2,2-bipyridyl significantly inhibited A. baumannii growth in vitro. Gallium nitrate alone was moderately effective at reducing A. baumannii growth but became bacteriostatic in the presence of serum or transferrin. More importantly, gallium nitrate treatment reduced lung bacterial burdens in mice. The use of gallium-based therapies shows promise for the control of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii. Copyright \ua9 2012, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye