“…In these patients, Bartonella henselae can develop bacillary angiomatosis (BA) or peliosis (BP), vasoproliferative tumour lesions of the skin or the inner organs, respectively (Mosepele et al, 2012;Relman et al, 1990), which derive from bacterial colonization and activation of human ECs inducing bacteraemia and fever of unknown cause (Chomel et al, 2009). In addition, Bartonella henselae, as also Bartonella quintana, causes blood-culture-negative endocarditis (BCNE), as indicated by its isolation from native aortic valve tissue of people affected by infectious endocarditis (IE) (Fournier et al, 2001;González et al, 2014;Katsouli & Massad, 2013;Lamas et al, 2013;Que & Moreillon, 2011). Furthermore, because of the negativity of the blood culture, the diagnosis of BCNE is usually considerably delayed; this could be the reason why most patients present acute cardiac failure, cardiac murmur, dyspnoea and bibasilar rales, thus suggesting global cardiac failure (Brouqui & Raoult, 2001;Dimopoulos et al, 2012).…”