Three cases of destructive native valve endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus lugdunensis.
Described here are three cases of acute native valve endocarditis due to the coagulase-negative pathogen Staphylococcus lugdunensis with serious complications. Two of the three patients died despite optimal antibiotic therapy and cardiovascular surgery. These cases demonstrate the aggressive nature of S. lugdunensis and emphasize the importance of identifying coagulase-negative staphylococci to the species level and not considering the isolation of S. lugdunensis from normally sterile body fluids as contamination. On the contrary, when this organism is found in patients with endocarditis, early surgery should be considered. The possibility that this organism could be misidentified as S. aureus because of "autocoagulation" and that commercial identification systems may misidentify it as S. haemolyticus, S. hominis or S. warneri should also be remembered.
Van Hoovels
L
L
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Bacteriology, University Hospital Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
De Munter
P
P
Colaert
J
J
Surmont
I
I
Van Wijngaerden
E
E
Peetermans
W E
WE
Verhaegen
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications; D003030:Coagulase; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D003030:Coagulase