Outbreak of group A Streptococcus emm94.0 affecting people who inject drugs in southwest England, April 2017

•Investigation of an outbreak of group A Streptococcus emm94.0 among people who inject drugs (PWID) has not identified a source of infection.•Strain type emm94.0 is relatively uncommon in the UK and had not been reported from the affected town prior to this outbreak.•Data from the national reference...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of infection control 2018-02, Vol.46 (2), p.238-240
Main Authors: Kwiatkowska, Rachel M., Manley, Petra, Sims, Ben, Lamagni, Theresa, Ready, Derren, Coelho, Juliana, Alsaffar, Layth, Beck, Charles R., Neely, Fiona
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Data Collection
Disease notification
Disease Outbreaks
England - epidemiology
Female
Humans
Intravenous/epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Risk Factors
Streptococcal infection
Streptococcal Infections - epidemiology
Streptococcal Infections - microbiology
Streptococcus pyogenes - genetics
Streptococcus pyogenes - isolation & purification
Substance abuse
Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications
Substance Abuse, Intravenous - epidemiology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vulnerable populations
Young Adult
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Summary:•Investigation of an outbreak of group A Streptococcus emm94.0 among people who inject drugs (PWID) has not identified a source of infection.•Strain type emm94.0 is relatively uncommon in the UK and had not been reported from the affected town prior to this outbreak.•Data from the national reference laboratory suggest that the rise in severe infections due to this strain type is disproportionately affecting PWID.•Reinforcing infection control measures in this vulnerable population remains challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach. We report an outbreak of invasive and noninvasive group A Streptococcus during April 2017 among people who inject drugs in southwest England. To date we have identified 14 cases linked to a specific town, all confirmed as group A Streptococcus emm94.0, a strain type not previously reported in the area. We have yet to identify a source for this ongoing outbreak. Actions described here may help reduce the burden of infection in vulnerable populations.
ISSN:0196-6553
1527-3296
DOI:10.1016/j.ajic.2017.08.011