Cited by 123Trace Elements in HealthIron Metabolism and DisordersHeavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity

Role of divalent metals in infectious disease susceptibility and outcome

Open access
Weiss, G., Carver, P.L.·2018·Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Abstract

Background Divalent metals play important roles in maintaining metabolism and cellular growth of both eukaryotic hosts and invading microbes. Both metal deficiency and overload can result in abnormal cellular function or damage. Given its central role in host-pathogen interactions, subtle alterations of divalent metal homeostasis can occur in the course of infectious diseases which aim, from the host perspective, either to reduce the availability of respective metals to microbes or to use toxic metal accumulation to eliminate pathogens.Aims To provide the reader with background information and clinical data on divalent metal homeostasis in host-pathogen interactions, how this affects the course of infectious disease and whether correction of metal disturbances has shown benefit in infections.Sources An in-depth analysis of PubMed articles related to the topic of this review published in English between 1970 and 2016 was performed.Content From the microbial perspective, divalent metals are essential for growth and pathogenicity and to mount effective protection against antimicrobial host responses, including toxic radical formation. Microbes have evolved multiple strategies to control their access to divalent metals. From the clinical perspective, alterations of divalent metal levels may result in increased or decreased susceptibility to infection and often occur in response to infections. However, keeping in mind the strategies underlying such alterations, for which the term 'nutritional immunity' was coined, the uncritical correction of such divalent metal imbalances may cause harm to patients. This review addresses the role of the divalent metals iron, selenium, zinc, manganese and copper in infectious diseases from a mechanistic and clinical perspective.Implications We point out areas of research needed to expand our limited knowledge, hoping to improve the clinical management of patients with infections and to identify promising new targets for treatment by modulation of host or microbe divalent metal metabolism.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.01.018

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140 of 140 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Iron restriction to the pathogen is a powerful innate immune defense mechanism of the host called nutritional immunity.

    “Nutritional immunity, a strategy of the immune system to deprive essential nutrients, such as divalent metals including iron, from invading pathogens”

    From Iron in immune cell function and host defense (2021) · cites this paper as [17]

  • Nutritional immunity has played a fundamental role in survival of primate populations challenged by microbes.

    “Nutritional immunity, a strategy of the immune system to deprive essential nutrients, such as divalent metals including iron, from invading pathogens [16,17], has played a fundamental role in survival of primate populations challenged by microbes.”

    From Iron in immune cell function and host defense (2021) · cites this paper as [17]

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Authors
Weiss, G., & Carver, P. L.
Affiliations
  • Innsbruck Medical University (AT)
  • University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author
  • Weiss, G.
  • Carver, P.L.
Venue
Clinical Microbiology and Infection
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-01
Volume
24
Issue
1
Pages
16-23
ISSN
1198-743X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2582979563
Cited by
123
References
144
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 4
FWCI
1.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Clinical Microbiology and Infection (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
Keywords
divalent metals, metal homeostasis, host-pathogen interaction, nutritional immunity, iron, selenium, zinc, manganese, copper, infection susceptibility, infection outcomes, metal deficiency, antimicrobial host defense
MeSH terms
Antioxidants, Bacteria, Bacterial Infections, Cations, Divalent, Copper, Disease Susceptibility, Fungi, Homeostasis, Humans, Iron, Manganese, Mycoses, Selenium, Zinc, Host-Pathogen Interactions

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