title: The role of antibiotic treatment alone for the management of Brucella endocarditis in adults: a case report and literature review.
abstract: Endocarditis is a rare complication of brucellosis but it is the main cause of the mortality in this disease. The accepted treatment for Brucella endocarditis (BE) is a combination of valve replacement and antibiotics. Conservative antibiotic treatment alone is not recommended by most of the authors as it is considered ineffective and increase the risk of fatality. In our literature search, we found 14 adult patients with BE treated only with antibiotics with a favorable outcome. In this report, we described a patient treated with antibiotics alone and reviewed the literature. Depending on the data from the growing literature and our patient we suggest that in selected patients with BE who do not have congestive heart failure, valvular destruction, abscess formation, or a prosthetic valve, conservative antibiotic treatment may be a valid alternative to surgery.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases and Clinical microbiology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mert
authors.forename: Funda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kocak
authors.forename: Resat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ozaras
authors.forename: Fehmi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tabak
authors.forename: Muammer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilir
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kucukuglu
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Yildirim
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aktuglu
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents