The Variable Response of Bacteria to Excess Ferric Iron in Host Tissues

Miles, A. A.; Khimji, P. L.; Maskell, J. P.

doi:10.1099/00222615-12-1-17

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Iron overload was known to be a significant risk factor for Yersinia infection in patients with thalassemia major [10,23]. In laboratory studies, iron was found to be essential for the growth of several bacteria, including Klebsiella species [24,25]. With regard to liver derangement, it can be caused by either iron overload or chronic viral hepatitis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

KlebsiellaInfection in Patients with Thalassemia

Chung

Chan

et al. 2003

CLIN INFECT DIS

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Klebsiella infection has previously been reported in a few patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia. The incidence and clinical spectrum of this infection in our cohort of patients were reviewed retrospectively. Among 160 patients observed for 12 years, there were 15 episodes of Klebsiella infection that occurred in 12 patients (7.5%), resulting in an incidence of 0.78 infections per 100 patient-years. The clinical spectrum included sinusitis (4 cases), intracranial infection (5 cases), septicemia (4 cases), and abscesses of the liver, lung, kidney, and parotid gland (1 case each). Three patients had recurrent infections involving different sites, 2 (16%) died of fulminant septicemia, and 3 (25%) had significant permanent neurological deficits. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern for the isolates was similar to the pattern for isolates recovered in the community. With regard to predisposing factors, iron overload and liver function derangement were found to be significant on univariate analysis (P=.046 and P=.049, respectively) but insignificant on multivariate analysis. Klebsiella infection was a serious and frequently encountered complication in our patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia, resulting in high mortality and morbidity rates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

KlebsiellaInfection in Patients with Thalassemia

Chung

Chan

et al. 2003

CLIN INFECT DIS

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“…These circumstances, added to the intrinsic low solubility of Fe(III) in hydrophilic environments at physiological pH (9), result in a concentration of accessible free iron (< 10 -12 /aM) much lower than the minimum required for bacterial growth (0.05-5/aM). Injection of iron concomitant with experimentally induced infection therefore enhances bacterial virulence (3,(10)(11)(12). Likewise, release of heine 1D~partment of Biochimie M~dicale, Centre Mgdical Uni2versitaire, 1211 Gen~ve 4, Switzerland.…”

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Aerobactin production as a virulence factor: A reevaluation

Lorenzo¹,

Martínez

1988

Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis.

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Iron starvation is one of the major barriers that virulent bacteria must overcome in order to proliferate in the host. Virtually all microorganisms possess high affinity iron (III) transport systems mediated by low molecular weight iron specific chelators called siderophores, the synthesis of which is activated under iron-limiting conditions. Siderophore aerobactin is frequently produced by enterobacteria which cause various types of infections in humans and animals. The status of aerobactin production as a virulence factor is evaluated both from data derived from experimental infection systems and the actual presence of this siderophore in clinical isolates. Aerobactin appears to be an important contributor to extracellular pathogenesis (mostly, that of Escherichia coli strains causing septicaemia and urinary tract infections) and to the extracellular stages of growth of intracellular pathogens like Shigella. When invasive bacteria actually enter target cells, acquisition of iron seems to occur independently of siderophore production. The feasibility of an antimicrobial therapy aimed at interfering with siderophore functioning is discussed.

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“…We have assumed that enhanced lesion size is equivalent to enhancement of infection. The main object of our investigation was to see how far the variable response of bacteria to excess ferric iron in host tissues (Miles et al, 1979) is applicable to Fe++ presented as guinea-pigs' own haemoglobin, administering as far as possible comparable weights of iron in the preparations used. In our previous comparison of systemic and local Fe+ + + we used 10 pg of local Fe+ + +.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accordingly, five strains that were well enhanced by local iron, namely E. coli 28B2, K. aerogenes KGP, S. aureus 12, the aeromonad and Str. zooepidemicus C (D181) (Miles et al, 1979) were tested on nutrient-agar plates containing 5% horse or guinea-pig blood. The coliform and the klebsiella affected neither blood, the staphylococcus was feebly P-haemolytic on horse and strongly so on guinea-pig blood.…”

Section: I a M E T E R ( M M ) M E A N L E S I O N D I A M E T E R mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have shown (Miles, Khimji and Maskell, 1979) that an increase in the availability of iron in the tissues of many host animal species studied by a number of investigators diminishes resistance to infection with only a minority of strains of a given pathogenic bacterial species. This variability in the response of members of a species was evident with test species of the genera Mycobacterium, Bacillus, Clos tr idiurn, Corynebac ter iurn , Lister ia, Erysipelo t h rix, Klebsiella, Pro teus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Bordetella, Haernophilus, Aeromonas and Mycoplasrna.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Variable Response of Bacteria to Free Haemoglobin in the Tissues

Maskell

Miles

1984

Journal of Medical Microbiology

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SUMMARY. The local enhancement of infection by exogenous ferric iron, as ferric ammonium citrate, and by ferrous iron as guinea-pig haemoglobin, was assessed in studies with 55 strains of bacteria injected into the skin of guinea-pigs. The test organisms included Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Klebsiella spp., Escherichia coli and Pseudornonas aeruginosa. Four strains of Bacteroides spp. were tested with haemoglobin only. As previously reported with other strains, enhancement of infection by members of a given species by ferric iron was variable; in this study infection with only 1 1 of 59 strains was enhanced. Haemoglobin either of equal or lesser iron content was a more potent enhancer, affecting 27 of the 59 strains. The enhancement ranged from two-fold to 80-fold, the higher figures on the whole being characteristic of haemoglobin enhancement. Some few instances of depression by both haemoglobin and ferric ammonium citrate were noted. A few tests were made with systemic haemoglobin but the concentrations attainable were largely ineffective. Enhancement of infection did not appear to be related to the capacity of a strain to lyse or digest host red blood cells.In so far as guinea-pigs, whose antibacterial defences are lowered by ferric or ferrous iron, represent human subjects at risk of infection because of clinical circumstances characterised by excess of available iron-either exogenous or as a result of haemolysis-our results with organisms of a kind commonly associated with infection in hospitals suggest that only a small proportion of environmental bacteria can take advantage of any decreased resistance associated with iron excess.

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The Variable Response of Bacteria to Excess Ferric Iron in Host Tissues

Cited by 25 publications

References 11 publications

KlebsiellaInfection in Patients with Thalassemia

KlebsiellaInfection in Patients with Thalassemia

Aerobactin production as a virulence factor: A reevaluation

The Variable Response of Bacteria to Free Haemoglobin in the Tissues

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