Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis with <i>Bartonella washoensis</i> in a Human European Patient and Its Detection in Red Squirrels ( <i>Sciurus vulgaris</i> )

Abstract

Members of the genus Bartonella are fastidious Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacteria that are typically transmitted by arthropod vectors. Several Bartonella spp. have been found to cause culture-negative endocarditis in humans. Here, we report the case of a 75-year-old German woman with prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Bartonella washoensis .