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Clostridium novyi infection: a fatal association with injecting drug users
  1. J M Ryan,
  2. J Paul,
  3. S Curtis,
  4. N K Patel
  1. Department of Accident and Emergency Medicine, The Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton BN2 5BE, UK
  1. Correspondence to: Mr Ryan (ryanj{at}pavilion.co.uk)

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.

  • drug misuse
  • Clostridium novyi

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