by the API Rapid Anaerobic Identi®cation System (bioMeÂr-

Gram staining of a touch preparation from the necrotic tissue smear showed gram-positive rods with subterminal spores (®gure 1). A foul-smelling Clostridium species was recovered from the plate with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an-aerobic agar and Columbia colistin-nalidixic-acid agar. Pre-sumptive identi®cation of Clostridium was made by demonstra-tion of typical colony morphology, Gram staining and ¯uorescence, and the characteristic p-cresol odor. De®nite iden-ti®cation was based on biochemical characteristics [5] reveale