Moraxella catarrhalis bacteraemia and prosthetic valve endocarditis.
Moraxella catarrhalis, once considered a non-pathogenic coloniser of the oropharynx, has now been recognised as a true pathogen and is reported in cases of bacteraemia. A 63-year-old man with an aortic bioprosthetic valve was brought to the emergency room with altered mental status. Initial blood cultures revealed Gram-negative diplococci on Gram stain; echocardiogram showed a 5 mm vegetation on the aortic bioprosthetic valve. The blood cultures grew M. catarrhalis and the patient was treated medically for prosthetic valve endocarditis with 6 weeks of ceftriaxone and had a favourable clinical outcome. M. catarrhalis has a high prevalence of β-lactamase production and hence the patient was treated with ceftriaxone. This case highlights the importance of considering M. catarrhalis as a pathogen in cases of invasive disease.
Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Lokesh
L
Shahani
Department of Medicine, Houston Veterans Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.
Shahriar
S
Tavakoli Tabasi
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000382:microbiology*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D001936:Moraxella catarrhalis; D045828:Moraxellaceae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002443:Ceftriaxone