Emerging Viral and Bacterial Infections: Within an Era of Opioid Epidemic

The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis that continues to impact healthcare in the United States of America (USA). While changes in opioid prescribing have curbed the medical use of opioids, the increase in nonmedical use, largely driven by injection drug use (IDU), has contributed to the escalating incidence of opioid use disorder (OUD). Furthermore, IDU is associated with high-risk injection practices that can increase the risk of acquiring viral and bacterial infections. Here in this comprehensive review, we aimed to summarize the epidemiology and management of OUD, along with the screening and antimicrobial treatment of associated infections, specifically focused on human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, skin and soft tissue infections, endocarditis, and osteomyelitis. Medication-assisted therapy (MAT) and infection guidelines from the USA will be presented.