Methods of treating microbial infections in humans and animals

A method of treating a subject with a microbially-based infection, comprising the administration of an effective amount of a compound to a subject in need of treatment, the compound being able to decrease ATP levels in the microbe by at least 10% compared to controls after 24 hours in an in vitro test, and not kill mammalian cells during the same time period, the decrease in ATP levels being 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.;
• wherein the compound is not of formula R—SOn-Z-CO—Y, wherein n is 1 or 2, R is a hydrocarbon group having 6-20 carbon atoms, Z is a hydrocarbon linking moiety that may contain a heteroatom, and Y is selected from —NH, —O—CH2—C6H5, —CO—CO—O—CH3, and —O—CH3.