Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose accelerates erythropoietic recovery from experimental malarial anemia

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Iron restriction has been proposed as a cause of erythropoietic suppression in malarial anemia; however, the role of iron in malaria remains controversial, because it may increase parasitemia. To investigate the role of iron-restricted erythropoiesis, A/J mice were infected with Plasmodium chabaudi AS, treated with intravenous ferric carboxymaltose at different times, and compared with untreated controls. Iron treatment significantly increased weight and hemoglobin nadirs and provided enhanced reticulocytosis and faster recovery, compared with controls. Our findings challenge the restrictive use of iron therapy in malaria and show the need for trials of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose as an adjunctive treatment for severe malarial anemia.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Volume205
Issue number7
Pages (from-to)1173-7
Number of pages5
ISSN0022-1899
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

ID: 37835039