Cerebral vasculitis and Cardiobacterium valvarum endocarditis

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 61; no. 11; pp. 1625 - 1630
• Main Authors: ABRAHAM, R, IRWIN, R. B, KANNAPPAN, D, ISALSKA, B, KOROMA, M, YOUNIS, N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Society for General Microbiology 01.11.2012
• Subjects: Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiobacterium - isolation & purification; Endocarditis, Bacterial - complications; Endocarditis, Bacterial - drug therapy; Endocarditis, Bacterial - microbiology; Endocarditis, Bacterial - pathology; Fatal Outcome; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - drug therapy; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - microbiology; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - pathology; Humans; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - metabolism; Vasculitis, Central Nervous System - complications; Vasculitis, Central Nervous System - microbiology; Vasculitis, Central Nervous System - pathology; Vascular disease; Cardiobacterium; Vasculitis; Heart disease; Endocardial disease; Endocarditis; Bacteria; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.043208-0

We present a case of aortic and tricuspid native valve endocarditis in which Cardiobacterium valvarum was isolated from the blood culture of a 65-year-old man. Cardiobacterium valvarum is a fastidious, Gram-negative bacillus. The genus Cardiobacterium encompasses two species - Cardiobacterium valvarum and Cardiobacterium hominis. Although both species rarely feature as the aetiological agent of endocarditis, Cardiobacterium hominis has a higher incidence than Cardiobacterium valvarum. For this causative organism, we believe this is the first report of fatality prior to surgical intervention and the first clinical course to be complicated by cerebral vasculitis. Native valve endocarditis caused by Gram-negative bacilli is extremely rare and identification of isolates may require the use of reference laboratories with molecular identification techniques.