[Streptococcus pneumoniae endocarditis diagnosed with polymerase chain reaction]

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Cardiology
• Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

• Sepsis and meningitis can present with unknown etiologies, posing diagnostic challenges.
• Aortic valve endocarditis is a serious condition requiring accurate and timely diagnosis.
• Echocardiography is crucial for diagnosing valvular heart disease, including endocarditis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the etiological agent in a patient with sepsis, meningitis, and suspected aortic valve endocarditis.
• To evaluate the utility of broad-range PCR and DNA sequencing in diagnosing infective endocarditis from valvular tissue.
• To confirm the causative pathogen in a case of severe aortic insufficiency requiring valve replacement.

Main Methods:

• Echocardiography was performed to assess cardiac structures and function.
• Broad-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to aortic valve cusp tissue.
• DNA sequencing was utilized to identify the pathogen from the PCR product.

Main Results:

• Echocardiography revealed underlying aortic valve endocarditis with severe insufficiency.
• Broad-range PCR of cusp tissue yielded a detectable DNA product.
• DNA sequencing successfully identified Streptococcus pneumoniae as the causative agent.

Conclusions:

• Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified as the cause of aortic valve endocarditis in this patient.
• Broad-range PCR and DNA sequencing are effective tools for diagnosing infective endocarditis, especially when conventional methods are inconclusive.
• Molecular diagnostics can provide rapid and accurate etiological identification in complex infectious cases.