• Blerand Berisha, Sigurdur Ragnarsson, Lars Olaison, and Magnus Rasmussen.
• Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
• J. Intern. Med. 2022 Sep 1; 292 (3): 428-437.

BackgroundProsthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a feared complication after heart valve surgery. Studies on differences in bacteriology in various types of PVE are limited.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the microbiology of PVE depending on the type of prosthetic valve and timing of diagnosis.MethodsA retrospective study based on the Swedish Registry on Infective Endocarditis focusing on PVE was conducted. The cohort was divided into mechanical and bioprosthetic valves; into endocarditis localization in the aortic, mitral, or tricuspid valve; and into early and late PVE. The microbiology in these groups was compared. Predictors of Staphylococcus aureus as the cause of PVE were examined by multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 780 episodes of PVE in 749 patients were compared regarding the distribution of causative microbiological agents. The most common agents included alpha-hemolytic streptococci (29%), S. aureus (22%), enterococci (14%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (12%), and Cutibacterium acnes (6%). S. aureus was more commonly found on mechanical valves compared to bioprosthetic ones (36% vs. 17%, p < 0.001) whereas alpha-hemolytic streptococci, enterococci, and CoNS were more common on bioprosthetic valves. There were no significant differences in the microbiology of PVE affecting mitral or aortic valves or in cases of early and late PVE. Predictors for S. aureus as the cause of PVE were end-stage renal disease, intravenous drug use, mechanical valve, and tricuspid localization of endocarditis.ConclusionsThe type of prosthetic heart valve is associated with the causative pathogen. Patients with mechanical valves are more likely to have PVE caused by S. aureus.© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Internal Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Publication of The Journal of Internal Medicine.

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