<em>Granulicatella elegans</em>: a rare cause of infective endocarditis A Case Report

Abstract

Granulicatella elegans belongs to nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) which are found as normal microbiota of humans. It can cause infective endocarditis (IE) with a high mortality rate due to frequent treatment failure. A young male with a history of migraine presented with a short history of fever, shortness of breath and a pansystolic murmur in the mitral area. Three blood cultures were positive for Gram positive cocci in chains. With echocardiographic findings of a cardiac vegetation, a definitive diagnosis of infective endocarditis was made according to Modified Duke Criteria. The culture isolate was identified as Granulicatella elegans by the VIETK® identification system. He was treated with intravenous (IV) ceftriaxone and gentamicin with subsequent improvement.

Keywords

• granulicatella elegans, bacterial endocarditis, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, mitral valve