Clostridium novyi infection: a fatal association with injecting drug users. Issue 2 (1st March 2001)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ryan, J M; Paul, J; Curtis, S; Patel, N K
• Is Part Of: Emergency medicine journal. Volume 18:Issue 2(2001)
• Page Start: 138
• Page End: 139
• Publication Date: 2001-03-01
• Subjects: drug misuse -- Clostridium novyi; Emergency medicine -- Periodicals; 616.02505
• DOI: 10.1136/emj.18.2.138
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1472-0205

Abstract

Abstract : Injecting drug users frequently use accident and emergency (A&E) departments to access emergency care for local and systemic infections. Clostridium novyi type A is a bacterium that has recently been associated with a number of fatalities among drug injecting addicts. The clinical course is described of a patient who attended an A&E department with septicaemia who was found at postmortem examination to have been infected with Clostridium novyi type A. Doctors working in A&E departments should be aware of the existence of this infection and be vigilant when treating injecting drug users with localised infection.