Abiotrophia defectiva endocarditis can present with a severe clinical course requiring early surgical intervention such as valve replacement for improved outcomes.
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May support early surgical consideration in severe Abiotrophia defectiva endocarditis; single case leaves optimal timing open.
A previously healthy 27-year-old Jamaican man presented to the University Hospital of the West Indies with recurrent joint pain, remitting and relapsing fever, and shortness of breath. He was subsequently found to have Abiotrophia defectiva endocarditis. This was the first time this organism had been isolated at our institution. Despite culture directed antibiotics, his clinical course was quite severe with mitral regurgitation and congestive cardiac failure requiring mitral valve replacement. He recovered well postoperatively and is currently being followed at our outpatient cardiology clinic. This report highlights the severe presentation and often poor outcome associated with A. defectiva endocarditis and stresses that the outcome may be improved by early and appropriate surgical intervention.
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Pinkney et al. (2014) studied this question.
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