Necrotizing Fasciitis

Paul G. Auwaerter, M.D., John G. Bartlett, M.D.

Necrotizing Fasciitis is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins ABX Guide.

To view the entire topic, please log in or purchase a subscription.

Official website of the Johns Hopkins Antibiotic (ABX), HIV, Diabetes, and Psychiatry Guides, powered by Unbound Medicine. Johns Hopkins Guide App for iOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android included. Explore these free sample topics:

Monkeypox

Coronavirus COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)

Suicide Risk in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccine (BioNTech/Pfizer)

Managing Stress and Coping with COVID-19

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

PATHOGENS

Some classify necrotizing fasciitis (NF) into Type I and Type II.
- Mixed aerobic-anaerobic bacteria [Type I]
- Group A Streptococcus (GAS, S. pyogenes, Type II)
  - Thought to be the most common cause. CDC estimates ~ 700-1200 cases/yr annually since 2010.
  - Certain Streptococcal strains are seen more frequently in NF, most commonly those that contain M protein types 1, 3, 12, and 28 (elaborating pyrogenic exotoxin A).
  - May complicate routine varicella or zoster as superinfeciton.
Other pathogens that may cause NF
- Other Streptococcal species
- Clostridium perfringens
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Vibrio vulnificus
- Aeromonas spp.
- Klebsiella spp.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Other: host of occasional bacterial pathogens implicated, Candida and Mucor spp. also rarely described.

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please log in or purchase a subscription --

PATHOGENS

Some classify necrotizing fasciitis (NF) into Type I and Type II.
- Mixed aerobic-anaerobic bacteria [Type I]
- Group A Streptococcus (GAS, S. pyogenes, Type II)
  - Thought to be the most common cause. CDC estimates ~ 700-1200 cases/yr annually since 2010.
  - Certain Streptococcal strains are seen more frequently in NF, most commonly those that contain M protein types 1, 3, 12, and 28 (elaborating pyrogenic exotoxin A).
  - May complicate routine varicella or zoster as superinfeciton.
Other pathogens that may cause NF
- Other Streptococcal species
- Clostridium perfringens
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Vibrio vulnificus
- Aeromonas spp.
- Klebsiella spp.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Other: host of occasional bacterial pathogens implicated, Candida and Mucor spp. also rarely described.

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.