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The following is a summary of “Infective endocarditis caused by Gemella – a retrospective registry-based study,” published in the January 2025 issue of Infectious Disease by Popova et al.
In the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria, Gemella was recognized as a typical pathogen in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE).
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria change and compare the clinical characteristics of Gemella IE to IE caused by other pathogens.
They retrieved data on IE caused by Gemella species and other pathogens from the Swedish Registry of Infective Endocarditis (SRIE). Clinical characteristics of Gemella IE were compared with those of IE episodes caused by non-beta hemolytic streptococci, Staphylococcus aureus, and enterococci.
The results showed 29 episodes of Gemella IE were identified among 7,677 total cases in the SRIE, representing 0.4% of all episodes. The most common species were Gemella morbillorum (47%) and Gemella bergerii (27%). The proportion of episodes meeting the criteria for definite IE increased from 13 (45%) with modified Duke criteria to 21 (72%) with the Duke-ISCVID criteria. The median age of patients with Gemella IE was 70 years, with 40% being females and 90% having native valve IE. One-third of patients underwent heart valve surgery, and only 1 (3%) died. Clinical features of Gemella IE were similar to those of IE caused by non-beta hemolytic streptococci.
Investigators concluded that IE caused by Gemella species was a rare condition with clinical features overlapping with IE due to non-beta-hemolytic streptococci and generally carries a favorable prognosis.
Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23744235.2025.2450604#abstract
