Necrotizing ANCA-Positive Glomerulonephritis Secondary to Culture-Negative Endocarditis

Case Rep Nephrol. 2015:2015:649763. doi: 10.1155/2015/649763. Epub 2015 Dec 27.

Abstract

Infective endocarditis (IE) and small-vessel vasculitis may have similar clinical features, including glomerulonephritis. Furthermore the association between IE and ANCA positivity is well documented, making differential diagnosis between IE- and ANCA-associated vasculitis particularly difficult, especially in case of culture-negative IE. We report on one patient with glomerulonephritis secondary to culture-negative IE caused by Bartonella henselae which illustrates this diagnostic difficulty.