Article: Wound botulism in injection drug users.(Letter to the editor)(Clinical report)

To the Editor: Infections are the most frequent and serious wound complications in injection drug users (IDUs). Wound botulism is primarily caused by Clostridium botulinum (1) and was first observed in IDUs in New York in 1982 (2). It results from the introduction of C. botulinum spores into a wound and their multiplication, germination, in situ synthesis, and secretion of toxin under anaerobic conditions. Of 7 designated toxin types, neurotoxins A, B, E, and F result in human disease. During the 1990s, wound botulism cases among IDUs increased in the United States in conjunction with the use of black-tar heroin (3). Since 2000, wound botulism cases in IDUs have been ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!