Iron, Infections, and Anemia of Inflammation

Iron, Infections, and Anemia of Inflammation
-Iron is essential to all microorganisms. To obtain iron from the very low concentrations present in their environment, microorganisms have developed sophisticated mechanisms such as the siderophore system. As a primitive defense mechanism, humans have developed mechanisms to withhold iron from microorganisms.
-Iron-binding proteins such as transferrin, ferritin, and lactoferrin have a central role in human ferrokinetics. These iron-binding proteins also participate in the process of decreasing iron availability for the microorganisms.
-Anemia of inflammation is seen in the setting of infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic diseases. It results, in part, from changes in the intracellular metabolism of iron.
-Alterations of iron physiology seen in many clinical circumstances make excess iron available to microorganisms, thus enhancing their pathogenicity.
Iron is vital for microorganisms. There is abundant iron in the human body, most of which is bound to hemoglobin, myoglobin, and the cytochromes. Most of the iron that is not integrated to these essential proteins is bound to the iron-binding proteins.