Streptococcus bovis infectious endocarditis and occult gastrointestinal neoplasia: experience with 25 consecutive patients treated surgically

Abstract

To assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal neoplasia in patients with Streptococcus bovis infectious endocarditis we performed a retrospective cohort analysis of all episodes of S. bovis infectious endocarditis treated at our institution between January 2000 through December 2014. Twenty-five patients were identified for this purpose. 12/25 patients received colonoscopy and 1/25 of the patients was assessed with CT colonography. Of the 13 who underwent colonic assessment, 11 were diagnosed with colonic neoplasms at different stages of development. In the absence of any strong contraindication, gastroenteroscopic evaluation in all patients diagnosed with S. bovis infectious endocarditis should be pursued.