Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology

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Indexed in KCI, KoreaMed, Synapse, DOAJ
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pISSN 2288-0585 eISSN 2288-6850
Case report

Bacterial Endocarditis Caused by Abiotrophia defectiva in a Healthy Adult: A Case Report with Literature Review

Hyunggon Je1, Duyea Song2, Chulhun L. Chang2

Departments of 1Thoracic Surgery and 2Laboratory Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea

Corresponding to Chulhun L. Chang, E-mail: cchl@pusan.ac.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 2019;22(1):23-27. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2019.22.1.23
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

Infective endocarditis caused by Abiotrophia defectiva is rarely encountered. A 67-year-old male transferred from a local hospital presented with severe dyspnea and pulmonary edema. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe mitral regurgitation with large vegetation. Blood cultures grew , a gram positive, nutritionally deficient streptococcus variant. Emergent mitral valve replacement through right thoracotomy was performed, and after completing six weeks of antibiotic combination therapy (vancomycin, ampicillin, and gentamicin), the patient recovered fully. Because of the need for prompt surgical treatment and long-term antibiotic therapy and lack of laboratory experience with the organism, physicians and laboratory workers should pay close attention to the possibility of A. defectiva infective endocarditis when gram positive cocci are detected in blood cultures. (Ann Clin Microbiol 2019;22:23-27)

Keywords

Abiotrophia defectiva, Infective endocarditis, Nutritionally variant streptococci