{"title":"Epidemiological Insights into HACEK Bacteria: A Seven-year Retrospective Analysis at a Tertiary Care Center in Istanbul.","authors":"Tansu Dundar, Zafer Habip, Mucahide Esra Kocoglu, Tuncer Ozekinci","doi":"10.4274/MMJ.galenos.2025.69327","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>HACEK bacteria (<i>Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Aggregatibacter</i> spp., <i>Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens</i>, and <i>Kingella kingae</i>) represent a group of fastidious organisms implicated in endocarditis and a range of opportunistic infections. Despite their clinical importance, epidemiological data on HACEK infections remain limited, particularly in Türkiye.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective analysis investigated 30 cases of HACEK infections diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital in Istanbul over a seven-year period (2017-2023). Data were collected from electronic medical records and laboratory databases.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients ranged in age from 0 to 76 years, with isolates derived from a variety of clinical specimens. <i>Cardiobacterium hominis</i> was notably absent among the identified species. Polymicrobial growth was documented in 20 cases, predominantly involving Gram-positive cocci, particularly <i>Streptococcus</i> spp. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for four isolates, revealing significant challenges in interpretation due to the absence of standardized guidelines for HACEK pathogens. None of the cases received pathogen-specific therapy; all were managed with empirical antimicrobial regimens. Clinical outcomes were favorable in all but one patient, who succumbed to complications of coronavirus disease-2019. No cases of recurrent HACEK infection or infective endocarditis were observed during follow-up.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings underscore the diagnostic challenges associated with HACEK infections and the potential underestimation of their prevalence. Prospective, multicenter studies are needed to clarify the epidemiological and clinical significance of these organisms. Moreover, the development of standardized antimicrobial susceptibility testing protocols and evidence-based therapeutic strategies is essential to optimize patient management and improve clinical outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":37427,"journal":{"name":"Medeniyet medical journal","volume":"40 3","pages":"143-149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12478635/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Medeniyet medical journal","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4274/MMJ.galenos.2025.69327","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: HACEK bacteria (Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Aggregatibacter spp., Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella kingae) represent a group of fastidious organisms implicated in endocarditis and a range of opportunistic infections. Despite their clinical importance, epidemiological data on HACEK infections remain limited, particularly in Türkiye.
Methods: This retrospective analysis investigated 30 cases of HACEK infections diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital in Istanbul over a seven-year period (2017-2023). Data were collected from electronic medical records and laboratory databases.
Results: Patients ranged in age from 0 to 76 years, with isolates derived from a variety of clinical specimens. Cardiobacterium hominis was notably absent among the identified species. Polymicrobial growth was documented in 20 cases, predominantly involving Gram-positive cocci, particularly Streptococcus spp. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for four isolates, revealing significant challenges in interpretation due to the absence of standardized guidelines for HACEK pathogens. None of the cases received pathogen-specific therapy; all were managed with empirical antimicrobial regimens. Clinical outcomes were favorable in all but one patient, who succumbed to complications of coronavirus disease-2019. No cases of recurrent HACEK infection or infective endocarditis were observed during follow-up.
Conclusions: These findings underscore the diagnostic challenges associated with HACEK infections and the potential underestimation of their prevalence. Prospective, multicenter studies are needed to clarify the epidemiological and clinical significance of these organisms. Moreover, the development of standardized antimicrobial susceptibility testing protocols and evidence-based therapeutic strategies is essential to optimize patient management and improve clinical outcomes.
期刊介绍:
The Medeniyet Medical Journal (Medeniyet Med J) is an open access, peer-reviewed, and scientific journal of Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine on various academic disciplines in medicine, which is published in English four times a year, in March, June, September, and December by a group of academics. Medeniyet Medical Journal is the continuation of Göztepe Medical Journal (ISSN: 1300-526X) which was started publishing in 1985. It changed the name as Medeniyet Medical Journal in 2015. Submission and publication are free of charge. No fees are asked from the authors for evaluation or publication process. All published articles are available online in the journal website (www.medeniyetmedicaljournal.org) without any fee. The journal publishes intradisciplinary or interdisciplinary clinical, experimental, and basic researches as well as original case reports, reviews, invited reviews, or letters to the editor, Being published since 1985, the Medeniyet Med J recognizes that the best science should lead to better lives based on the fact that the medicine should serve to the needs of society, and knowledge should transform society. The journal aims to address current issues at both national and international levels, start debates, and exert an influence on decision-makers all over the world by integrating science in everyday life. Medeniyet Med J is committed to serve the public and influence people’s lives in a positive way by making science widely accessible. Believing that the only goal is improving lives, and research has an impact on people’s lives, we select the best research papers in line with this goal.