Yersinia hepatic abscesses and iron overload.

To the Editor.— Leighton and MacSween 1 describe the occurrence of septicemia and multiple abscesses due to Yersinia enterocolitica in a patient who had been receiving long-term iron therapy. Their report is further evidence of the remarkable susceptibility of patients with high iron stores to generalized Y enterocolitica infection. From 1978 to 1986, in Italy, almost all cases of severe clinical disease due to Y enterocolitica developed in subjects with iron overload. In fact, eight of ten cases of Y enterocolitica septicemia occurred in patients with β-thalassemia major, while Y enterocolitica peritonitis was encountered in these patients exclusively. 2,3 All isolates belonged to human pathogenic strains ( Y enterocolitica biogroup 4, serogroup 03, phage type VIII; biogroup 2, serogroup 09, phage type X 3 ). Five patients presented with deep suppuration limited to sites in the digestive system, such as the appendix and the mesenteric lymph nodes. It has been suggested that