Given its slow growth, requirement for hemin when grown aerobically, and preference for CO2 enrichment, it is likely that the involvement of Eikenella in an infection is not always recognized, and it would be prudent to alert the laboratory in situations where isolation of Eikenella is likely (especially in head and neck infections or infected wounds caused by a human bite). It is found most often as part of a mixed infection, particularly with streptococci, but is capable of independently causing serious infection in both normal and immunocompromised hosts.
Although an uncommon cause of infection, it is by no means rare. Eikenella corrodens is a microaerophilic gram-negative rod which is a normal inhabitant of human mucosal surfaces, particularly the oral cavity.
