[Streptococcal gangrene and so-called "flesh-eating bacteria disease". A rare and devastating disease].

Streptococcal gangrene, an unusual form of necrotizing fasciitis with fatal outcome, has been recently rediscovered and has gained popularity with the name "disease of flesh eating bacteria". The incidence of this and other severe diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae has been suggested to be increasing. Only three patients with this disease have been studied at our institution in the last 12 years and in a review of a bacteremic infections caused by beta-hemolytic streptococci a significant increase of these infections was not observed. We report here the clinical and pathological characteristics of streptococcal gangrene as well as a review of the more recent literature.