Salmonella Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis

Abstract

A patient with Björk-Shiley mechanical mitral valve was noted to have Salmonella prosthetic valve endocarditis, which was confirmed by positive blood cultures and vegetation found by transesophageal echocardiography. Up to now, only 5 cases of Salmonella prosthetic valve endocarditis have been reported in the literature. Because of the malignant course of this rare infection, the authors suggest that early surgical intervention should be considered in Salmonella prosthetic valve endocarditis, especially when the patients have recurrent fever during medical treatment.