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Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans endocarditis in a patient with a prosthetic aortic valve

Endokarditis infolge Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans bei einem Patienten mit Aortenklappenersatz

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Summary

Bacterial endocarditis caused by Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is a rare disease. A 48-year-old man who had a Starr-Edwards aortic valve prosthesis inserted in 1972 was admitted for evaluation of confusion, headaches, anorexia, weight loss, diarrhea and weakness. Six blood cultures yielded gram-negative organisms which were subsequently identified as A. actinomycetemcomitans. Treatment with ampicillin and gentamicin resulted in cure which has been maintained after an observation period of eleven months. This represents the second report of A. actinomycetemcomitans endocarditis in a patient with a prosthetic valve.

Zusammenfassung

Bakterielle Endokarditis durch Befall mit Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans ist eine seltene Erkrankung. Ein 48jähriger Mann, dem 1972 eine künstliche Aortenklappe vom Typ Starr-Edwards eingesetzt worden war, wurde zur klinischen Beurteilung eines aus Verwirrung, Kopfschmerzen, Anorexie, Gewichtsverlust, Diarrhoe und Schwäche bestehenden Syndroms stationär aufgenommen. Sechs Blutkulturen wiesen gramnegative Organismen aus, die nachfolgend als A. actinomycetemcomitans identifiziert wurden. Eine Behandlung mit Ampicillin und Gentamycin führte zur Heilung, die nach einer Beobachtungsdauer von elf Monaten anhielt. Dies ist der zweite Bericht über Endokarditis infolge A. actinomycetemcomitans bei einem Patienten mit Klappenersatz.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, PO Box 6998, 60680, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    A. P. Panwalker,  H. E. Akalin, V. Zimelis &  G. G. Jackson

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  1. A. P. Panwalker
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  2. H. E. Akalin
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  3. V. Zimelis
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  4. G. G. Jackson
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Panwalker, A.P., Akalin, H.E., Zimelis, V. et al. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans endocarditis in a patient with a prosthetic aortic valve. Infection 5, 104–106 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01642090

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