ISSN 1016-5169 | E-ISSN 1308-4488
Archives of the Turkish Society of Cardiology
An unusual microorganism, Aerococcus viridans, causing endocarditis and aortic valvular obstruction due to a huge vegetation [Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars]
Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars. 2011; 39(4): 317-319 | DOI: 10.5543/tkda.2011.01352

An unusual microorganism, Aerococcus viridans, causing endocarditis and aortic valvular obstruction due to a huge vegetation

Ali Nazmi Çalık, Yalçın Velibey, Metin Çağdaş, Zekeriya Nurkalem
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Thoracic And Cardiovascular Surgery Training And Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

Aerococcus viridans is not a common pathogen, and endocarditis due to A. viridans is very rare. A 44-year-old woman with persistent atrial fibrillation and rheumatic valvular heart disease was admitted with fever, sweating, weakness, and progressive shortness of breath. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated a 8x9-mm vegetation attached to the right coronary cusp of the aortic valve, causing aortic obstruction. Blood cultures yielded A. viridans susceptible to penicillin. Despite optimal antibiotherapy, subsequent TTE controls revealed enlargement of the vegetation, reaching a size of 21x10 mm, and an increasing gradient across the aortic valve. The patient underwent successful aortic and mitral valve replacement and was stable in the postoperative period without any problem. This represents the first reported case of A. viridans endocarditis in which the size and location of vegetation caused obstruction to blood flow, indicating surgery.

Keywords: Endocarditis, bacterial/surgery, gram-positive bacterial infections

How to cite this article
Ali Nazmi Çalık, Yalçın Velibey, Metin Çağdaş, Zekeriya Nurkalem. An unusual microorganism, Aerococcus viridans, causing endocarditis and aortic valvular obstruction due to a huge vegetation. Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars. 2011; 39(4): 317-319

Corresponding Author: Yalçın Velibey, Türkiye
Manuscript Language: English


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