Rampant use of iron supplementation to correct possible anemia in malaria and other infections

Abstract

Rampant and unnecessary use of iron supplementation to correct possible anemia in malaria and other 
infections is dangerous, since excess iron may predispose to salmonellosis. Intracellular bacteria, such as 
Salmonella typhimurium has an obligate requirement for iron to support intracellular growth and survival. 
Complements have unique role in salmonella co-infection with malaria because complements like C1q and 
C4 deficiency are associated with Salmonella infection. On the other hand, misleading Widal results may 
keep one away from the true diagnosis because of cross reaction of antigen from other infections with 
Salmonella antibody. Therefore an erroneous interpretation of rapid diagnostic tests delays the treatment of 
actual infection and increases morbidity. So, further research is necessary to diagnose a true coinfection 
and to eliminate false interpretation of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Thereby true co-infections and 
their prevalence should be measured correctly. Effective control measures can be determined if a data of 
true co-infection were present. A review was carried out on the literature relating to malaria and typhoid, 
using various journals and published articles from internet search engines. Here we described the 
importance of malaria and typhoid co-infection due to misleading Widal results, associated conditions, and 
iron induced true co-infection and their public health importance by reviewing various scientific data.