title: [Coxiella burnetti infectious endocarditis. Apropos of a case].
abstract: Chronic forms of Q fever (endocarditis) are rare, but are responsible for severe and desperately recurrent infections, resulting in multiple valve replacements with a reserved prognosis. The authors report the case of a 35-year-old patient with a known history of rheumatic fever, who developed blood culture negative infectious endocarditis on a mitral bioprosthesis. The diagnosis of Q fever was based on serological arguments. Despite long-term antibiotic therapy, serology remained strongly positive and was associated with repeated mitral valve disinsertion. The patient died immediately after the fourth operation in a context of haemodynamic failure. This clinical case emphasizes the importance of performing Q fever serology in any case of culture negative endocarditis and the therapeutic difficulties encountered in chronic recurrent endocarditis.
authors.affiliation: Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Militaire Principal d'Instruction de Tunis, Montfleury, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben Ameur
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haouala
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fehri
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rahal
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mhenni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guediche
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011778:Q Fever / Q000150:complications*
vernacular_title: L'endocardite infectieuse à Coxiella burnetti. A propos d'un cas.