Toxic-Shock Syndrome Related to Intravenous Heroin Use

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Abstract
To the Editor: The question of possible sexual transmission of toxic-shock syndrome (TSS) was raised in a recent letter to the Journal.1 We wish to report another potential route of TSS transmission—intravenous injection of illicit drugs. We recently encountered a patient in whom the classic manifestations of TSS developed shortly after heroin injection.A 22-year-old white female heroin user was admitted with swelling, pain, and redness of the left hand. Her last menstrual period had been normal and had occurred 10 days before the onset of symptoms. Approximately 2 days before admission, the patient had injected heroin into a . . .