The anemia of infection the uptake of radioactive iron in iron-deficient and in pyridoxine-deficient pigs before and after acute inflammation.

In the first (1) of this series of studies on the pathogenesis of the anemia of infection, it was pointed out that there must be in association with infection a derangement in the intermediate metabolism of iron. This condusion was based on the observation that in cases of infection associated with anemia, the plasma iron content is markedly lowered below the normal; this appears early, and is found even before anemia has developed. The injection of staphylococci or of turpentine in dogs was shown (2) to be associated with hypoferremia, and evidence was presented (1) which indicated that absorption of iron is probably adequate when infection is present, the hypoferremia being accompanied by a rapid removal of iron from the plasma. The present report, and those which follow, describe experiments which were designed to study the nature of the disturbance in the internal metabolism of iron. When iron deficiency is present, anemia develops which is accompanied by marked hypoferremia. If iron is then given intravenously (3) it is taken up rapidly and quantitatively for erythropoiesis. The anemia associated with pyridoxine deficiency, on the other hand, is characterized by inability to use iron, with the result that it is deposited in the tissues and marked hyperferremia develops (4). Thus these conditions represent wide extremes in the ability to use iron for hemoglobin formation. It was thought that some insight might be gained as to the nature and seyerity of the alteration in iron metabolism associated with infection if hemo-. globin synthesis and the uptake of radioactive iron