Risk factors for an infection following exposure to a naturopathic medicine:
(1) severely immunocompromised patient
(2) unintentional contamination of the medicine with a potential pathogen
(3) potential pathogen as an ingredient of the naturopathic medicine (intentional presence)
(4) injection of the naturopathic medicine using poor technique
(5) injection equipment that is nonsterile or re-used
Infections associated with naturopathic medicines may include:
(1) opportunistic fungal infection
(2) bacterial endocarditis
(3) Salmonellosis (see 26.17.06)
(4) hepatitis C or B viral infection (with reuse of injection equipment)
Evaluation of the patient should include
(1) an evaluation of the ingredients and their sources.
(2) culture of naturopathic medicine that is available. If the culture is positive, then the isolate can be compared to isolates from the patient.
(3) a review of how the patient received the naturopathic medicine
