Clinicobacteriological examination was carried out in 31 patients with the crush syndrome (CS) and extensive damage to the soft tissues in combination with bone fractures complicated by wound infection. Inadequate surgical treatment in the early periods after the trauma (complete closure of the wound, making small incisions of the involved skin and subcutaneous fat) is particularly hazardous in such cases because it leads to the development of severe wound infection. This disease is marked by a complex polymicrobial structure of the causative agents, massive dissemination of aerobic and opportunistic anaerobic bacteria in the purulent focus (10(7)-10(9) microbial bodies), and a high proportion (48.4%) of obligate anaerobic microflora. Wound infection in the CS takes a grave clinical course, but without profound microbiological study it is difficult to differentiate it into aerobic and anaerobic (clostridial and ++non-clostridial) forms. This is evidence of the need for emergency extended bacteriological diagnosis at all the stages of treatment. "Pure" aerobic infection was identified in half of the patients and mixed aerobic-anaerobic infection in the other half. The possibility of the involvement of asporogenic anaerobes is shown (35.5% of cases). The high risk of the development of gas gangrene is detected (9.7%) and its is concluded that early prevention is necessary by adequate surgical intervention, adequate intensive antibacterial and detoxification therapy, including hyperbaric therapy. The efficacy of current antigangrene immunization agents must be evaluated.