Serum Iron and Transferrin Levels in Vibrio vulnificus Septicemia Patients

It is believed that elevated serum iron levels are the most reliable predisposing factor for Vibrio vulnificus septicemia (VVS). However, no report is available on direct measures of serum iron levels in VVS patients. Accordingly, we measured serum iron and transferrin levels in W S patients (n=33). Total iron concentration and the iron-saturation of transferrin were higher in 76% and 79% of VVS patients than in normal controls (n=45). In contrast, transferrin concentrations were lower in 94% of W S patients’ sera than in normal controls. These results indicate that increased iron-availability, which resulted from elevated total iron concentration along with decreased transferrin concentration, provide a compromised condition for VVS.