Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis withLeptotrichia goodfellowiiin a Patient with a Valvular Allograft: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Leptotrichiaspecies are normal constituents of the oral cavity and the genitourinary tract microbiota that are known to provoke disease in immunocompromised patients and rarely in immunocompetent individuals. Following the description ofLeptotrichia goodfellowiisp. nov., two cases of endocarditis by this species have been reported. Here, we report a case ofLeptotrichia goodfellowiiendocarditis in an immunocompetent patient with a valvular allograft. The isolation and identification ofLeptotrichiacan be challenging, and it is likely that infection with this pathogen is significantly underdiagnosed. A definitive identification, as in this case, most often requires 16S rRNA gene sequencing, highlighting the increasingly important role of this diagnostic modality among immunocompetent patients with undetermined anaerobic bacteremia.