Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
Gas Gangrene
PATHOGENS
Common clostridial species causing gas gangrene:
- Clostridium perfringens
- Most commonly identified organism.
- Gram-positive anaerobic rod [Fig 1]
- Produces > 20 exotoxins, including lethal Alpha and Beta toxins that cause necrosis and hemolysis.
- Also an agent of food poisoning.
- Most commonly identified organism.
- Clostridium novyi
- Clostridium septicum
- Clostridium histolyticum
- Clostridium sordellii (seen with toxic shock after childbirth, users of contaminated heroin injections and patients with malignancy)
- A review of spontaneous C. sordelli-associated gas gangrene found that known or occult malignancy was seen in 71% of the 94 patients in the literature; overall mortality was 67%[6].
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Last updated: May 8, 2023
Citation
Auwaerter, Paul G. "Gas Gangrene." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2023. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540239/all/Gas_Gangrene.
Auwaerter PG. Gas Gangrene. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540239/all/Gas_Gangrene. Accessed May 14, 2025.
Auwaerter, P. G. (2023). Gas Gangrene. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540239/all/Gas_Gangrene
Auwaerter PG. Gas Gangrene [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. [cited 2025 May 14]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540239/all/Gas_Gangrene.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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DB - Pediatrics Central
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