Fungistatic capacity of sera from guinea pigs injected with various iron solutions: differences between Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Rhizopus oryzae.

Abstract

The fungistatic capacity and serum ion levels (SI) of guinea pigs given subcutaneous injections of various iron solutions were examined. The administration of 2.0 ml of 0.1 M ferric ammonium sulfate, ferric sulfate, or ferric chloride subcutaneously had no significant effect on the SI 3 h after administration, whereas ferric ammonium citrate, ferric citrate, or ferrous sulfate elevated the SI to 50 to 140 times that necessary to saturate the unbound transferrin in normal sera. The sera from 11 of 15 guinea pigs with an elevated SI remained fungistatic for Trichophyton mentagrophytes, whereas 3 of 15 guinea pigs with an elevated SI remained fungistatic for Rhizopus oryzae. The sera from normal guinea pigs were consistently fungistatic for Rhizopus oryzae. The sera from normal guinea pigs were consistently fungistatic for both T. mentagrophytes and R. oryzae. These data suggest that subcutaneous administration of certain iron compounds can significantly elevate the SI without completely abolishing the fungistatic capacity of the serum.