Aspergillus endocarditis presenting as femoral artery embolism

Abstract

Fungal valvular endocarditis is an unusual cause of endocarditis, yet very important because of its historically poor prognosis. We report two fatal cases of fungal valvular endocarditis following cardiovascular surgery, presenting as femoral artery embolism. Aspergillus terreus and A. flavus were the causative agents of endocarditis in the two patients. Diagnosis was established very early by culture of the emboli and was confirmed later by isolation of the same Aspergillus species from the resected valve tissue.

Fungal endocarditis presenting with right lumbar pain and femoral artery ischemia – An unusual case report

“…Aspergillus Terreus is a rare anamorphic genus that harbors over 180 recognized forms 3 . It has been reported rarely to cause cutaneous, subcutaneous and disseminated infections in immunosuppressed patients along with a few cases reported in immune competent individuals 4 . In the present case, we are presenting a rare scenario of a patient who presented with right lumbar pain.…”

“…Second, Aspergillus infection in native valves is a rare incidence with limited literature in diagnosis and treatment 3, 4. It is especially difficult to establish a definitive diagnosis of an Aspergillus infection in an immune-competent host due to the ubiquitous nature of the organism 5 .…”