ABSTRACT
Galactose is an important constituent of many glycoconjugates, existing in the pyranose form (Galp) in mammalian cells and in both the pyranose and furanose (Galf) forms in bacteria, fungi, and protozoa.1,2 Many of the later are pathogenic, and Galf residues can be found in, for example, the galactomannan of Aspergillus fumigatus; mucin-like proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease; galactan I of Klebsiella pneumoniae; the O-antigen of Escherichia coli and K. pneumonia lipopolysaccharide; and the arabinogalactan of Mycobacteria tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis.
