Double prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Abstract

Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is a rare disease. Only eight cases of pneumococcal prosthetic valve endocarditis have been described in the literature. In this report we describe the first case of pneumococcal endocarditis involving two prosthetic heart valves. The patient had pneumonia as the probable portal of entry but no predisposing conditions for invasive pneumococcal disease. Our case also illustrates the importance of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for the early diagnosis of IE and a timely decision for cardiac surgery.