“Clostridium novyi and Co: the drug injector outbreaks” – conference summary and recommendations

A scientific meeting was held in Glasgow, Scotland, on 15-16 October 2001 to draw together all the available information about the outbreaks of life threatening infection that occurred among drug injectors in Scotland, England, and Dublin from April to August 2000 (http://www.iduoutbreak.abelgratis.com/) (1, and references therein). Delegates from Scotland, England, Ireland, and Finland attended the meeting. As a result of the current international crisis, contributors from the United States and Norway were unable to attend. A series of presentations by specialists in epidemiology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacy, and law enforcement allowed the following picture to emerge.