anaerobic cellulitis

cellulitis due to a necrotizing infection with anaerobic bacteria; the most common pathogen is Clostridium perfringens, but it can also be caused by species of Bacteroides, Peptostreptococcus, and Prevotella, or mixtures of different bacteria. It is usually in a contaminated wound or in otherwise compromised tissues; symptoms include a foul-smelling discharge, gas formation, and crepitus. The clinical findings are milder than those seen in true gas gangrene, but progressive tissue destruction may lead to fatal septicemia.