<i>Pasteurella multocida</i> Infective Endocarditis: A Possible Link with Primary Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

Abstract

A 50-year-old Japanese man presented with fever and upper respiratory tract symptoms that required urgent inpatient admission. A physical examination revealed conjunctival hemorrhages and peripheral embolic phenomena. Blood cultures grew Pasteurella multocida, and an echocardiography revealed a mitral valve vegetation suggestive of infective endocarditis (IE), which was confirmed using the Modified Duke Criteria. After several antibiotic regimens proved ineffective, valve replacement was performed, with a good eventual outcome. P. multocida IE is rare and may sometimes have no preceding risk factors. P. multocida infections of the upper respiratory tract are unusual but may be an inciting event for IE. It is essential to check blood cultures and to repeat the performance of physical examinations to appreciate the developing features of IE.