title: Causative organisms of infective endocarditis according to host status.
abstract: A prospective study of infective endocarditis (IE) was conducted between 1994 and 2000 in Marseilles, France, and included 170 definite cases diagnosed with the use of modified Duke criteria. Classification of IE based on the aetiological agent was related to epidemiological characteristics, including age, gender and the nature of the injured valve. Enterococci and Streptococcus bovis were identified more frequently in older subjects (p 0.02), and S. bovis was also associated with mitral valve infection (p 0.03). Streptococcus spp. were found to be associated with native valves (p < 10(-3)), whereas coagulase-negative staphylococci and Coxiella burnetii were associated with intracardiac prosthetic material (p < 0.05). S. bovis and Staphylococcus aureus were the predominant species associated with presumably healthy valves (p < 0.05), whereas oral streptococci caused IE exclusively in patients with previous valve damage. The basic host status of IE patients has been linked to specific microorganisms, and this may be of value when empirical treatment is needed in patients who have received previous antibiotic therapy and whose blood cultures are negative.
authors.affiliation: Unité des Rickettsies, CNRS UPRESA 6020, Université de la Méditerranée, Faculté de Médecine, Marseilles, France.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barrau
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boulamery
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Imbert
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Casalta
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Messana
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bonnet
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000382:microbiology; D003381:Coxiella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006095:Gram-Positive Cocci / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology