Desferrioxamine

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Abstract
Summary Desferrioxamine is the only metal chelator that is currently available for clinical use. Over the last 5 years, several reports have appeared on desferrioxamine-related mucormycosis in dialysis patients. This has stimulated this review of the literature on the effects of desferrioxamine upon the growth in-vitro of micro-organisms and upon the course of experimental infections. For some micro-organisms, desferrioxamine stimulates growth and enhances virulence, while for others the drug suppresses growth and attenuates the course of experimental infection. The mechanism underlying this difference is based on the micro-organism's ability to utilize iron provided by the desferrioxamine-iron complex. In human disease, desferrioxamine has been shown to increase the risk of infections caused by some Yersinia spp. and by some zygomycetes, mainly Rhizopus. New iron chelators will have to be tested for their effects on selected micro-organisms before their widespread clinical use can be regarded as safe.

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