Abstract
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is a fastidious organism that requires carbon dioxide for primary isolation and grows
slowly in culture. Infections by this organism affect middle-aged and older men with
abnormal or replaced aortic or mitral valves who have been subjected to dental manipulation
or individuals with poor oral hygiene. The diagnosis is delayed since growth of the
organism is slow. A. actinomycetemcomitans remains an unusual cause of endocarditis. Since 1962, 71 cases of A. actinomycetemcomitans have been reported in the English language literature, while only one case with a
history of mitral prolapse has been reported. We describe a case of native valve endocarditis
on an apparently normal valve with mild mitral prolapse. To our knowledge, this is
the first reported case of endocarditis due to A. actinomycetemcomitans from Greece.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
June 8,
1999
Received in revised form:
June 1,
1999
Received:
March 23,
1999
Identification
Copyright
© 1999 Published by Elsevier Inc.
