Native valve infective endocarditis due to sequence type 97 community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus complicated by meningitis and multiple septic emboli in a young healthy adult

Abstract

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) can cause a wide variety of infections, ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening invasive diseases such as necrotizing pneumonia and infective endocarditis. Here, we present a case of a healthy young female presenting with fever, headache and nausea, who was diagnosed with mitral valve infective endocarditis due to CA-MRSA and whose course was complicated by meningitis and multiple septic emboli. The causative MRSA strain belonged to sequence type 97 and harbored SCCmec Ⅳc but not lukS/F-PV genes. ST97, which is frequently isolated from livestock animals and known as a common lineage of livestock-associated MRSA, may cause invasive infection in the community.

Keywords: Community acquired infection; Infective endocarditis; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.