Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 24, Issue 9 , Pages 481-486, September 2008

Mycobacterium abscessus Endocarditis: A Case Report and Literature Review

  • Wei-Chung Tsai

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Hsiao-Cheng Hsieh

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ho-Ming Su

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Po-Liang Lu

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Tsung-Hsien Lin

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Sheng-Hsiung Sheu

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Wen-Ter Lai

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Wen-Ter Lai, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, 100 Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan

Received 21 December 2007; accepted 17 April 2008.

Article Outline

Infective endocarditis owing to Mycobacterium abscessus infection is rarely reported. Most cases of infective endocarditis caused by Mycobacterium abscessus are seen in patients after valve replacement. Although early surgical intervention is recommended and medical treatment with antibiotics according to the susceptibility to the pathogen, such as amikacin, imipenem, cefoxitin, quinolones and macrolides, are applied, the course of such endocarditis is usually subacute and often has fatal outcomes. The present case was a 29-year-old male patient who was an intravenous drug user who had recurrent endocarditis caused by Mycobacterium abscessus. Unusually, our reported case was infected on his native valve. However, we experienced recurrence despite antimicrobial therapy. For culture-negative endocarditis, physicians should consider the possibility of Mycobacterium abscessus infection and related treatment difficulties.

Key Words:  endocarditis , Mycobacterium abscessus

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References 

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PII: S1607-551X(09)70005-1

doi:10.1016/S1607-551X(09)70005-1

Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 24, Issue 9 , Pages 481-486, September 2008

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