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An Increased Carrier Rate

Carmelita U. Tuazon, MD; Aurora Perez, MD; Tomokauzu Kishaba, MD; John N. Sheagren, MD

JAMA. 1975;231(12):1272.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

IN EARLIER studies, we attempted to define the source of the organism causing staphylococcal endocarditis in drug abusers who used the needle. Street heroin and injection paraphernalia were not implicated.¹ We then found a 300% increase in the carrier rate of Staphylococcus aureus among those who had recently used drugs parenterally, compared to a control population who had not. Users who had not injected any drug for two weeks or more had the same carrier rate as the control group.² The reason for the increased carrier rate in recent drug users was not apparent, although we suspected that it might have been related to the effect of drugs on resistance to the Staphylococcus or on such epidemiologic factors as poor hygiene or frequent needle use. To examine the possibility that epidemiologic factors were involved, we have examined members of another group of patients who inject themselves regularly with . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC.

Footnotes
Read before the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Sept 11 through 13, 1974, San Francisco.

Reprint requests to Infectious Disease Unit, Howard University Medical Service, DC General Hospital, 19th and E streets SE, Washington, DC 20003 (Dr. Tuazon).

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