Iron

Iron

Serum (clotted blood)

Mainly used as an inflammatory marker. Iron is an essential element for many microbial
processes, and mammalian immunity has evolved to reduce iron availability to invading
infections by internalising circulating iron within macrophages, thus reducing serum
concentrations. This occurs more rapidly than generation of fibrinogen and is significant by
16 hours of the inflammatory stimulus.
Serum iron might also be used to assess body iron status although other factors need to be
taken into account as well, including total iron binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) and the
percentage of iron saturation of transferrin.
Iron deficiency is extremely rare in horses but typified by
 low serum iron
 high TIBC or transferrin
 low percentage saturation of transferrin.
Inflammation (or anaemia of chronic disease)
 low serum iron
 TIBC is not increased (low to normal)
 percentage saturation is low to normal.
Excessive dietary iron
 high serum iron
 slightly low TIBC or transferrin
 high saturation.