I mentioned that Lyme (Borrelia Burgdorferi infection) is an exception to the rule about iron. The BB organism is apparently unique among pathogens in that it does not require iron for growth. BB apparently uses manganese in places where iron is used in other organisms.
It seems that the lack of a need for iron may be one of the characteristics that makes BB such a remarkable pathogen.
BB is the only known pathogen that does not require iron. This would suggest that bloodletting would not be helpful for BB infection.
See the attached paper.
