Nocardial endocarditis after mitral valve replacement: case report and review of the literature
Timóteo, A.T.; Branco, Lísa.M.; Pinto, M.; Bico, P.; Ferreira, R.C.
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia Orgao Oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia 29(2): 291-297
2010
ISSN/ISBN: 0870-2551 PMID: 20545253 Document Number: 645992
Nocardia causes several types of infection in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts, and may affect any organ. Endocarditis due to infection by Nocardia species is rare and has a poor prognosis. To our knowledge, after a literature review, only 12 cases of nocardial endocarditis have been reported, most treated with valve replacement. We report the case of a patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Nocardia species, who was successfully treated with antimicrobial chemotherapy only (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), instead of valve replacement.