Afebrile Multi-valve Infective Endocarditis Caused by Lactococcus garvieae: A Case Report and Literature Review

• Published in: Internal Medicine Vol. 55; no. 8; pp. 1011 - 1015
• Main Authors: Suh, Yooseok, Kim, Min Ja, Jung, Jae Seung, Chong, Yong Pil, Kim, Chul Hwan, Kang, Youngjin, Sohn, Jang Wook, Yoon, Young Kyung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; bacteremia; endocarditis; Endocarditis, Bacterial - etiology; Endocarditis, Bacterial - microbiology; Female; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections - etiology; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections - microbiology; heart valve prosthesis; Heart Valve Prosthesis - adverse effects; Humans; Lactococcus; Lactococcus garvieae; Mitral Valve Stenosis - surgery; Republic of Korea; Teicoplanin - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0918-2918; 1349-7235
• DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.55.5935

Lactococcus garvieae is considered to be a rare pathogen with low virulence in humans. We herein experienced an unusual case of multi-valve infective endocarditis caused by L. garvieae in an elderly woman who had undergone bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement due to severe mitral stenosis with rheumatic etiology. The patient was successfully treated with cardiac surgery after teicoplanin antimicrobial therapy failure followed by ceftriaxone treatment. L. garvieae was confirmed as the pathogen through 16S rRNA sequencing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to indicate an effective treatment for infective endocarditis caused by L. garvieae in the Republic of Korea.