Hacek group

HACEK is the acronym for the following group of bacteria:

• Aggregatibacter aphrophilus (formerly Haemophilus aphrophilus and H. paraphrophilus).
• Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (formerly Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans),
• Cardiobacterium hominis
• Eikenellacorrodens (rod-shaped bacteria found in the oral flora of humans, dogs and cats,
• Kingella kingae

HACEK bacteria usually colonize the oral cavity and are considered to cause local infections. HACEK bacteriacan be identified as causative agents of severe systemic infections, especially bacterial endocarditis of both native and prosthetic heart valves. 0.8-6 % of infective endocarditis can be attributed to the HACEK group. Aggregatibacter spp., Haemophilus spp. and Cardiobacterium hominis are mainly detected. Invasive infections mainly affect patients with known valvular disease and are often associated with dental procedures or nasopharyngeal infections. The most commonly affected valves are the aortic and mitral valves.

1. Hof H et al (2019) Oral streptococci. In: Hof H, Schlüter D, Dörries R, eds Duale Reihe Medizinische Mikrobiologie. 7th, completely revised and expanded edition. Stuttgart: Thieme p 386-394