Strains of Staphylococcus aureus obtained from drug-use networks are closely linked.
Drug users have a higher incidence of colonization with Staphylococcus aureus than does the general population, and, as a result, they are at increased risk of infection with their colonizing strain. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of drug-use risk networks in S. aureus transmission, the similarity of S. aureus isolates within these networks, and the possible role of inhalation drug use paraphernalia in the transmission of S. aureus. Strains of S. aureus are shared among colonized inhalation drug users within drug-use risk networks. It suggests that patterns of drug use and the geographic location where drug sharing occurs are major contributors to the transfer of staphylococci and, as a result, to the high prevalence of staphylococcal colonization and perhaps disease in this population.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
Bianca
B
Quagliarello
Christian
C
Cespedes
Maureen
M
Miller
Aixsa
A
Toro
Peter
P
Vavagiakis
Robert S
RS
Klein
Franklin D
FD
Lowy
D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000382:microbiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*