Eikenella corrodens: an unusual cause of endocarditis in a patient with silent mitral valve prolapse

A 69-year old man with clinically silent mitral valve prolapse developed infective endocarditis secondary to Eikenella corrodens after dental work. The patient required surgical removal of abscessed teeth and long-term antibiotic therapy. E. corrodens is a gram-negative coccobacillus which normally inhabits the oropharynx, gastrointestinal tract, and upper respiratory tract. The organism can cause cutaneous and abdominal abscesses, meningitis, osteomyelitis, and endocarditis. Patients with mitral valve prolapse and a pre-existent systolic murmur or Doppler echocardiographic evidence of mitral regurgitation should receive prophylactic antibiotics for any procedure associated with a bacteremia. An infection caused by E. corrodens should be considered in patients with fever after dental manipulation or in patients with "culture-negative" endocarditis.