Further Evidence for Reabsorption of Hemoglobin Iron Lost into the Intestine in Hookworm Infected Subjects. ∗

Summary

The distribution of Fe 59 in the top and bottom layer of centrifuged erythrocyte samples was determined during 120 days after administration of the isotope in hematologically normal subjects and hookworm-infected patients. While in normal subjects there was a progressive migration of radioactivity from the top to the bottom layer between the 15th and 90th days as the erythrocyte aged with time, in the hookworm-infected patient the top radioactivity layer remained constantly high during the 120 days of the study. This phenomenon is explained by the constant reabsorption of iron from the hemoglobin lost into the intestine, which is reutilized by the bone marrow to form new erythrocytes.