Early prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Corynebacterium amycolatum: the first case reported in Brazil

Authors

  • Jaqueline Abel da Rocha Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
  • Natalia Chilinque Zambão da Silva Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
  • Ana SDN Silva Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
  • Rafael Guaresma Garrido Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Beatriz Meurer Moreira Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Ianick Souto Martins Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.10587

Keywords:

Early prosthetic valve endocarditis, Corynebacterium amycolatum, MALDI-TOF

Abstract

Non-diphtheriae Corynebacterium species are usually considered as contaminants of clinical specimens due to their widely environmental distribution and colonization of the human skin and mucous membranes. However, these bacteria have been increasingly recognized as agents of life-threatening infections mainly in individuals in immunosuppressive conditions. These organisms have vast variation in morphology and biochemical reaction, characteristics that make the correct identification of Corynebacterium at the species level extremely difficult using conventional phenotypic methods. The precise identification of C. amycolatum requires approaches rarely available in conventional clinical microbiology laboratories, such as API Coryne system, 16s rRNA and rpoB gene sequencing. In this setting, MALDI-TOF, a quick, accurate, and relatively unexpansive molecular technique, arises as a cost-effective alternative for characterizing these agents. Here, a rare and lethal case of endocarditis caused by C. amycolatum is presented. This is the first case of infective endocarditis due to C. amycolatum reported in Brazil.

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Published

2018-09-30

How to Cite

1.
da Rocha JA, da Silva NCZ, Silva AS, Garrido RG, Moreira BM, Martins IS (2018) Early prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Corynebacterium amycolatum: the first case reported in Brazil. J Infect Dev Ctries 12:806–807. doi: 10.3855/jidc.10587

Issue

Section

Case Reports