Nontypable Haemophilus influenzae Septicemia and Urinary Tract Infection Associated with Renal Stone Disease

Haemophilus influenzae commonly causes upper respiratory tract infections and has only rarely been reported etiology of urinary tract infections. Since the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) vaccine, non-typable haemophilus species now cause the majority of invasive disease in Europe.

We report a case of an adult man with non-typable Haemophilus influenzae septicemia, urinary tract infection and bilateral renal stone disease. The patient presented with right sided flank pain and a CT scan showed bilateral renal stones and a right sided ureteral stone causing obstruction.

Haemophilus influenzae was identified in blood and urine and despite a tendency of increasing antibiotic resistance among Haemophilus influenzae, our strain was susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Treatment consisted of 3 days of intravenous cefuroxime, insertion of a right sided JJ ureteric stent and 5 days of peroral ciprofloxacin after discharge. Physicians and microbiologists should be aware of Haemophilus influenzae as a possible urinary tract pathogen, especially when urinary tract abnormalities are present, and take the risk of antibiotic resistance into consideration at initial treatment.