Why the study?
Aspergillus endocarditis is a rare, life-threatening infection in which blood cultures are almost invariably negative, making blood culture-positive native aortic valve cases caused by Aspergillus niger exceptional.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Demonstrates that true blood culture-positive Aspergillus niger native valve endocarditis can occur and be successfully managed with urgent valve replacement and susceptibility-guided de-escalation to isavuconazole monotherapy.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Challenges view that Aspergillus blood cultures indicate contamination; leaves open optimal post-surgical antifungal strategies.
Aspergillus endocarditis is a rare, life-threatening infection in which blood cultures are almost invariably negative. We report an exceptional case of blood culture-positive native aortic valve endocarditis caused by Aspergillus niger, presenting with acute limb ischemia. Concordant isolation of A. niger from peripheral blood cultures, embolic material, and resected valve tissue provided robust microbiological confirmation. Early surgical valve replacement combined with susceptibility-guided antifungal therapy enabled prompt targeted management and a favorable clinical outcome.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Taurian et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Native aortic valve endocarditis caused by Aspergillus niger presenting with acute lower limb ischemia (n=1). Emergency femoral artery embolectomy, urgent bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve replacement, and susceptibility-guided antifungal therapy (voriconazole plus caspofungin de-escalated to isavuconazole) was evaluated on Clinical stabilization, microbiological clearance, and prosthetic valve function at day 30.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: