Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae endocarditis in a young adult

INTRODUCTION: Enterobacteriaceae are rarely the etiologic agents of endocarditis, with Klebsiella species being especially rare. From the end of 2005, isolates of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae began to appear in various hospitals across Israel, sensitive only to colistin and gentamicin. We present a case of hospital-acquired endocarditis caused by carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae in a young adult. CASE REPORT: An 18-year-old man with 40% full thickness burns developed acute bacterial endocarditis complicated by embolic myocardial infarction. Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae carrying the blaKPC3 gene was isolated from multiple blood cultures. He recovered fully after antibiotic treatment with colistin and gentamicin. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of acute bacterial endocarditis caused by carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae. The combination of intravenous colistin and gentamicin was effective and resulted in the cure of this patient's endocarditis without the need for surgical intervention.