Whilst 20-55% of patients with a diagnosis of Whipple's disease have clinically evident cardiac manifestations, 4 in very few reported cases has the initial presentation been valvular heart disease. 5,6 Paravalvular abscess formation, seen in the present case, does not seem to have been reported in Whipple's endocarditis. Once diagnosed, Whipple's disease can be successfully treated with 1-2 years of agents such as cotrimoxazole.
The causal organism in Whipple's disease, a rare disorder with characteristic duodenal and jejunal changes, was first cultured in 2000. 1 Although cardiac involvement is common in Whipple's, it is seldom an isolated finding.
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