Hepcidin deficiency and iron overload do not alter susceptibility to catheter-associated infection with gram-positive S aureus. (A) A 0.5-cm catheter piece was incubated for 15 minutes at 107 CFU/mL bioluminescent S aureus and implanted under the skin of mice. Infection burden was assessed by in vivo bioluminescence imaging every other day starting on day 1 after surgery. Representative images from day 3 are shown. (B-C) Liver and serum iron in iron-loaded and iron-depleted HKO mice and WT mice. (D) Bacterial burden as measured by total luminescence flux was maximal on days 3 and 5, but similar between iron-loaded HKO, iron-depleted HKO, and WT mice. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student t test (B: ID HKO vs WT; C) or Mann-Whitney U test (the rest). Max, maximum; Min, minimum; NS, not significant.
