Successful Medical Treatment of Prosthetic Mitral Valve Endocarditis Caused by Brucella abortus

Korean Circ J. 2014 Nov;44(6):441-3. doi: 10.4070/kcj.2014.44.6.441. Epub 2014 Nov 25.

Abstract

Although Brucella endocarditis is a rare complication of human brucellosis, it is the main cause of the mortality in this disease. Traditionally, the therapeutic approach to endocarditis caused by Brucella species requires a combination of antimicrobial therapy and valve replacement surgery. In the literature, only a few cases of mitral prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Brucella species have been successfully treated without reoperation. We present a case of a 42-year-old man with a prosthetic mitral valve infected by Brucella abortus who was cured solely by medical treatment.

Keywords: Brucella abortus; Cardiac valve prosthesis; Infective endocarditis.