Infectious endocarditis is a severe condition still characterized by a high morbidity and mortality rate. An early diagnosis may positively impact the outcome, so we need our diagnostic tools to match with the ever-changing epidemiologic and microbiologic landscape of infectious diseases. We read with great interest the update to the Modified Duke Criteria for the diagnosis of Infectious Endocarditis recently proposed by the International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases and decided to propose the addition of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae to the list of typical microorganisms causing Endocarditis. This pathogen is widespread distributed in the world, has a zoonotic origin, harbors virulence factors and a multidrug resistance phenotype. Moreover, its retrieval from blood seems to have an important correlation with the presence of Endocarditis. The inclusion of E. rhusiopathiae in the list of typical microorganisms may represent a further refinement of the Modified Duke Criteria, which represent a fundamental tool in the management of patients with suspected endocarditis.
Keywords: Endocarditis; Erysipeloid; Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae; Modified Duke Criteria.