Infectious endocarditis caused by Helcococcus kunzii in a vascular patient: a case report and literature review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Helcococcus kunzii is a facultative anaerobic bacterium that was first described by Collins et al. in 1993, and was initially considered as a commensal of the human skin, in particular of lower extremities. Human infections caused by H. kunzii remain rare with only a few cases published in the pubmed database. Nevertheless recent reports indicate that this microorganism has to be considered as an opportunistic pathogen that can be involved in severe infections in human. To the best of our knowledge, we describe here the first known case of infectious endocarditis caused by H. kunzii.

Case presentation

A 79 year-old man reporting severe polyvascular medical history attended the emergency ward for rapid deterioration of his general state of health. After physical ex

SUBMITTER: Lotte R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4477501 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature