This is the case of a young male suffering from Austrian syndrome, which is the triad of endocarditis, meningitis, and pneumonia due to invasive S. pneumoniae infection. He reported recurrent fever for six months without any antibiotic treatment, which may have determined the further course of the syndrome. Echocardiography revealed massive native valve endocarditis, and the patient was conside...

The risk of infective endocarditis in chronic hemodialysis patients is markedly higher than that in the general population. We report the first case of a hemodialysis patient with infective endocarditis caused by Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) who presented with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. In the last decade, there has been an increase in the incidence of SDSE infe...

We present a case of a 46-year-old man with advanced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and congenitally bicuspid aortic valve endocarditis caused by methicillin- and gentamicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Endocarditis led to root abscess formation, a complete heart block, and fistulous tract formation between the ascending aorta and the right ventricle. Although perivalvular abscess is no...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES To describe the clinical, microbiologic, echocardiographic characteristics, and disease progression in patients who experience an acute coronary syndrome during an episode of endocarditis. METHODS The study included 586 consecutive patients who were diagnosed of infective endocarditis (481 left-sided) at one of five hospitals between 1995 and 2005. RESULTS Overal...

With use of new Duke criteria, 405 episodes of suspected endocarditis were previously classified as "definite," "possible," or "rejected" endocarditis. To determine the negative predictive value of the Duke clinical criteria for the classification of suspected endocarditis, chart review and follow-up were performed for the 52 episodes in which the diagnosis of endocarditis was rejected. Three o...

On presentation of Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis, unusual manifestations may represent the main clinical features of the disease. Isolated bacterial meningitis as the first manifestation of endocarditis is considered to be an unusual neurological complication. Here, we describe a case S. aureus endocarditis presenting as isolated meningitis and mimicking meningococcal septicaemia. Because ...

Postoperative vasoplegic syndrome (VS) is characterized by low systemic vascular resistance, normal or elevated cardiac output, and poor response to volume expansion. The incidence of VS after cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass is about 20%. Sometimes, VS becomes refractory and initial treatments do not work, rendering treatment a great challenge. In this study, we describe a youn...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Published case series on Streptococcus viridans endocarditis are scarce and outdated. The aims of our study were multiple: to analyze the profile of the Streptococcus viridans endocarditis, to compare it with other types of left-sided endocarditis and with cases caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and to determine predictors of poor outcome in Streptococcus viridans end...

We describe a case of Aeromonas hydrophila endocarditis in a 66-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome and non-A, non-B hepatitis, The infection resolved with antibiotic therapy, but the patient succumbed to complications of his underlying illness. This is the second case of Aeromonas endocarditis reported in the world literature.

Two cases of culture negative endocarditis are presented. In both, Bartonella species could be identified as the causative agent and in one of them Bartonella henselae was very likely. Both cases were accompanied by glomerulonephritis, in one case proven by a kidney biopsy. A nephrotic syndrome may be the first presentation of an endocarditis caused by Bartonella species.