Hepatic Iron Content and the Risk of Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteremia in Liver Transplant Recipients

Iron is a critical nutrient source and contributes to staphylococcal pathogenesis. We assessed the role of hepatic explant iron overload as a risk factor for Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in liver transplant recipients. Seven of 13 cases with S aureus bacteremia (53.8%) had hepatic explant iron concentrations that exceeded normal limits (grade ≥ 2). Length of posttransplant intensive care unit stay (P = .013) and hepatocellular carcinoma as underlying liver disease (P = .04), but not hepatic explant iron concentration, correlated with a higher risk of S aureus bacteremia after transplantation. However, noncarriers (patients without S aureus nasal carriage) who developed S aureus bacteremia were more likely to have high hepatic iron content; 4 of 7 (57%) noncarriers with high-grade iron content developed S aureus bacteremia but no noncarriers with low-grade iron content did (P = .07). All noncarriers who became infected had high iron content (grade ≥ 2) of the hepatic explant. A readily quantifiable assessment of hepatic iron at the time of transplantation can potentially identify patients without carriage who may be at risk for early S aureus bacteremia.