Infective endocarditis due to Bartonella bacilliformis associated with systemic vasculitis: a case report

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Joshua Peñafiel-Sam, Samuel Alarcón-Guevara, Sergio Chang-Cabanillas, Wilkerson Perez-Medina, Fernando Mendo-Urbina, Eloy Ordaya-Espinoza
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
• Subjects: Infective endocarditis; Bartonella bacilliformis; Systemic vasculitis; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0042-2017; https://doaj.org/article/ef42078212144892a53ae463cddbdf69

Abstract Infective endocarditis due to Bartonella bacilliformis is rare. A 64-year-old woman, without previous heart disease, presented with 6 weeks of fever, myalgias, and arthralgias. A systolic murmur was heard on the tricuspid area upon examination, and an echocardiogram showed endocardial lesions in the right atrium. Bartonella bacilliformis was isolated in blood cultures, defining the diagnosis of infective endocarditis using Duke’s criteria. Subsequently, the patient developed clinical and laboratory features compatible with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. This case presents an uncommon complication of B. bacilliformis infection associated with the development of systemic vasculitis.