Perianal necrotizing fasciitis in a neonate

A two-week-old term male infant, weighing 1,600 grams was transferred to the neonatology unit of Doküz Eylul University hospital with sharply demarcated cutaneous gangrene surrounding the perianal region. He did well at birth. In his history, on the 10th postnatal day, a red, painful, warm cutaneous lesion was observed which was thought to be secondary to repeated and inappropriate rectal temperature measurements. Besides an ill-appearing child, a nontender frank cutaneous gangrene developed within several days. Klebsiella pneumoniae was cultured from the involved area. Blood cultures were negative. A frozen section of soft tissue biopsy could not be performed because of the localization of the lesion. The patient was successfully treated by surgical debridement and high doses of parenteral antibiotics.