Life-threatening necrotizing soft tissue infection commonly caused by the rapid proliferation and spread of Clostridium perfringens from a contaminated wound
Clinical features
Disproportionate muscle pain
Massive oedema with skin discoloration that progresses from bronze to red-purple to black and overlying bullae
Can be no fever or cutaneous manifestations
Can progress to systemic infection within a few hours
Investigations
Imaging: X-ray, CT or MRI typically show a characteristic feathering pattern of the soft tissue