Iron is a trace element required for essential physiological and cellular pathways in all life forms, including oxygen transport to tissues via hemoglobin, oxidative energy production, cell proliferation, and immune function (Camaschella, 2017). Iron is required for pathogen growth and is a key micronutrient in the context of immune function, with bidirectional associations between iron status and infection. Iron deficiency has been associated with impaired immune function, bactericidal macrophage activity, and T-cell function (Jonker and van Hensbroek, 2014). However, because pathogens also require iron for survival, host sequestration of iron is a defense mechanism and part of the innate immune response, and it has been associated with lower incidence of bacterial and viral infections (Murray et al., ; Weinberg, ; Berlim and Abeche, 2001). Findings from these studies have led to the use of iron deprivation to target some infections, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Gomes, ; Pal et al., 2015).
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