The Importance of Microbiological Diagnosis of Gas Gangrene

The direct Gram staining examinations of materials in gas gangrene quickly provide valuable information for the clinician in establishing the diagnosis when a rapid decision about therapy is necessary to be made. Here the importance of laboratory diagnosis of gas gangrene has been desired to be emphasized on the occasion of two materials examined in our laboratory at different times. Both materials were obtained in the operating room before surgery. Gram-stained smears were quickly examined and the operating room was informed at once that the microscopic apperances were well-proposed to Clostridium and supported the diagnosis of gas gangrene. Anaerobic jar was used for the anaerobic cultures. C. septicum and C. perfringens were biochemically identified in anaerobic culture of the first material. But mixed colonies were produced in the anaerobic culture of the second material and further identification of the second one could not be done because of inability to keep them alive. Consequently it has been emphasized that in a severe infection such as gas gangrene a simple gram staining provides a useful information for the physician to choose a treatment and the most common isolates can be identified by some simple tests which are able to be done in all laboratory conditions