A case report of Mycobacterium abscessus infective endocarditis in rheumatic heart disease

Abstract

Infective endocarditis owing to Mycobacterium abscessus infection is extremely rare and is usually seen as prosthetic valve endocarditis. A 34-year-old male with rheumatic heart disease presented to us with undiagnosed pyrexia. He had vegetation on anterior mitral leaflet, and his blood cultures grew M. abscessus. The patient responded transiently to amikacin, clarithromycin, and minocycline. His course was complicated by recurrent cardioembolic strokes. The patient was not willing for surgery and had downhill course with persistent fever and heart failure leading to death. Native valve M. abscessus endocarditis is extremely rare. Early surgical intervention is recommended along with intravenous antibiotics, but the course is usually fatal.

Keywords

• Infective endocarditis
• Mycobacterium abscessus
• native valve