Gemella morbillorum endocarditis and osteomyelitis in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

We report a rare case of Gemella morbillorum endocarditis of the native aortic and mitral valves, and native vertebral osteomyelitis, in a 49-year-old male with HLA-B27 negative ankylosing spondylitis (AKS). G. morbillorum is a rare cause of endocarditis; the incidence of which is unknown. AKS may predispose patients to endocarditis through chronic valvulitis. G. morbillorum bacteremia in patients with AKS should prompt consideration of infective endocarditis and a search for possible portals of entry.