First case report of Mycobacterium canariasense native mitral valve endocarditis

• Published in: International journal of infectious diseases Vol. 121; pp. 66 - 68
• Main Authors: Hassan, Kowthar Salman, P, Prashanth Kumar, Al Owaisi, Rahma, Al Kindi, Adil H., Al Azri, Saleh, Adikaram, Chamila, Al Balushi, Zakariya, Khamis, Faryal, Al Busaidi, Ibrahim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: 16S rRNA; Infective endocarditis; Mycobacterium canariasense; Mycobacterium cosmeticum; Nontuberculous mycobacteria; RpoB gene; Infective endocarditis; 16S rRNA; RpoB gene; Mycobacterium canariasense; Mycobacterium cosmeticum; Nontuberculous mycobacteria
• ISSN: 1201-9712; 1878-3511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.04.025

•Reports on infections caused by Mycobacterium canariasense are scarce in the medical literature.•A combination of methods is needed to distinguish between some Mycobacteria.•rpoB gene sequencing might be superior to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Mycobacterium canariasense is a relatively newly discovered, rapidly growing nontuberculous Mycobacterium first described in 17 patients with fever in the Canary Islands, Spain, in 2004. To date, there have been very few case reports in literature, and to our knowledge, infective endocarditis due to M. canariasense has not been reported. In this case report, we present a 33-year-old man who was an intravenous drug user with native mitral valve infective endocarditis caused by M. canariasense after presenting with septic emboli to the toes and kidneys. The rapidly growing mycobacterium isolated from blood culture and valve tissue was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing as M. cosmeticum but was finally identified as M. canariasense by rpoB gene sequencing. The patient underwent mitral valve replacement surgery and received combined antibiotic therapy of intravenous ciprofloxacin, intravenous amikacin, and oral clarithromycin with a successful outcome. This case highlights the importance of molecular identification of nontuberculous Mycobacterium to guide antimicrobial therapy in such serious infections.