| abstract |
The invention relates to the areas of therapeutics, pharmaceuticals, drug discovery, and immunotherapy. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods of stimulating the immune system through the administration of flavone acetic acid [FAA] analogues, and in particular, the flavone acetic acid analogue, 5,6-dimethylxanthenone- 4-acetic acid (DMXAA) so as to comprise an antimicrobial therapeutic agent for the treatment of viral, fungal, bacterial or parasitic infections in humans and non-human animals. The invention is especially suitable for use in a process of treating and preventing infection by viruses (for example, rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, and influenza viruses, etc.) and bacteria (especially intracellular bacterial pathogens such as Francisella tularensis). |