Gas gangrene

**Definition:** Gas gangrene or clostridial myonecrosis is a potentially fatal, rapidly progressive necrotizing infection of muscle and soft tissue resulting from bacterial invasion of healthy muscle from adjacent traumatized muscle or soft tissue. The infection originates in a wound contaminated with bacteria of the genus Clostridium. C. perfringens accounts for the majority of cases (over eighty percent), while C. novyi, C. septicum, and C. histolyticum cause most of the other cases.