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Published on: September 24, 2021
Pacemaker Associated Aspergillus fumigatus Endocarditis: A Case Report
Wanyuan Chen1,2, Youqi Ji2, Xin Hong2
1Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Aspergillus endocarditis (AE) is a highly fatal infection that can occur in heart valve replacement, pacemaker implantation and other heart surgeries, and early recognition and sufficient diagnosis are challenging. Here, we report the case of a 68-year-old male with a history of dilated cardiomyopathy and pacemaker implantation who had a repeated fever with failed antibacterial treatment and sterile blood culture. He developed endocarditis, and the culture and biopsy of vegetation tissue showed the abundant presence of septate hyphae, which was subsequently identified as Aspergillus fumigatus by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. Although the patient had serious side effects from voriconazole, he had a good prognosis following surgery and prolonged caspofungin antifungal therapy of 42 consecutive days. We discuss the diagnosis and treatment strategy of AE, and recommend galactomannan assays and next-generation sequencing for a timely diagnosis. Early surgical intervention combined with prompt antifungal therapy appears significant for survival.
Insights
Aspergillus endocarditis (AE) is a rare but deadly heart infection. Early diagnosis using fungal markers and prompt surgery with antifungal therapy improved patient survival in this case.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Mycology
Background:
- Aspergillus endocarditis (AE) is a severe infection often complicating cardiac procedures.
- Diagnosis is challenging due to non-specific symptoms and sterile blood cultures.
Observation:
- A 68-year-old male with dilated cardiomyopathy and pacemaker developed recurrent fever after antibacterial treatment failure.
- Vegetation biopsy revealed Aspergillus fumigatus, confirmed by ITS sequencing.
Findings:
- The patient experienced side effects from voriconazole but improved with surgery and 42 days of caspofungin.
- Galactomannan assays and next-generation sequencing are recommended for timely AE diagnosis.
Implications:
- Early surgical intervention combined with targeted antifungal therapy is crucial for improving survival in Aspergillus endocarditis.
- This case highlights the importance of considering fungal infections in prosthetic valve endocarditis.
Related Concept Videos
Endocarditis I: Introduction
Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
Endocarditis III: Medical Management
Endocarditis IV: Nursing Management
Pericarditis I: Introduction
Pericarditis III: Medical Management

