Methods for preventing or treating infectious diseases caused by extracellular microorganisms, including antimicrobial-resistant strains thereof, using gallium compounds

A method for treating an infection in the bloodstream of a subject, the infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (“MRSA”), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (“VRE”), E. coli O157:H7, fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella typhi, ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, or fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, said method comprising:

• administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a gallium compound selected from the group consisting of gallium nitrate, gallium maltolate, gallium citrate, gallium phosphate, gallium chloride, gallium fluoride, gallium carbonate, gallium formate, gallium acetate, gallium sulfate, gallium tartrate, gallium oxalate, and gallium oxide,
• wherein said therapeutically effective amount is sufficient to reduce the number of, to suppress the growth of, or to kill the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (“MRSA”), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (“VRE”), E. coli O157:H7, fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella typhi, ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, or fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the bloodstream of the subject.