Group A streptococcal bacteraemia in Yorkshire and the Humber: evidence of another problematic infection among injecting drug users.

It has been estimated that in England and Wales, in 2002, 15% of all invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) cases were amongst injecting drug users (IDUs). This study sought to clarify the extent of this problem in the Yorkshire and Humber region by asking laboratories for further information on reported cases. In our region we found that there was a near doubling of cases, from 64 reports of GAS bacteraemia in the first six months of 2001, to 121 reports in the same period of 2003. We estimated that 34% of all GAS cases, more than twice the previous national estimate, occurred in IDUs and that the proportion of cases occurring in IDUs nearly doubled from 2001 to 2002. Our findings should be viewed within the context of the increasing reports of several other problematic infections in IDUs.