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Updated: Sep 25, 2025
Legionella pneumophila Outer Membrane Vesicles: Isolation and Analysis of Their Pro-inflammatory Potential on Macrophages
Published on: February 22, 2017
Legionella endocarditis: A case report and review
Andrea Teira1, Juan Sánchez1, Ignacio Santiago1
1Service of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Cantabria, Spain.
Background:
Legionella is a well known but infrequent cause of bacterial endocarditis.
Methods:
We report a case of endocarditis caused by Legionella spp. We reviewed previously reported cases in PubMed, Google Scholar and in references included in previous reports, and summarized relevant clinical data.
Results:
A 63-year-old man with a history of aortic valve replacement developed persistent fever and monoarthritis. Transesophageal echocardiography showed perivalvular abscess. He died during surgery. Blood and valve cultures were negative. Legionella spp. was demonstrated with 16S-rRNA PCR from the resected material. Twenty cases of Legionella endocarditis have been reported. Harboring a prosthetic valve was the main risk factor. Prognosis was favorable, both for patients treated with or without surgical valve replacement. Overall mortality was <10%.
Conclusions:
Legionella is an infrequent cause of endocarditis. It frequently requires surgical treatment. Prognosis is good. Molecular techniques are likely to become the gold standard for diagnosis.
