Staphylococcus aureus injection drug use-associated bloodstream infections are propagated by community outbreaks of diverse lineages.

lineages among IDU-BSI isolates, but not non-IDU BSI isolates, in a community with limited access to needle exchange facilities. In the setting of expanding numbers of staphylococcal IDU-BSI cases consideration should be given to treating IDU-associated invasive staphylococcal infections as a communicable disease.