Background:Previous reports have highlighted the high prevalence of blood culture negative endocarditis (BCNE) in South Africa. Methods:The Tygerberg Endocarditis cohort (TEC) study is a prospective cohort study of patients with con rmed or suspected IE presenting to Tygerberg Academic Hospital,

SUMMARYA 3-year-old boy presented with severe airway obstruction which was diagnosed as asthma. He improved but had repeated episodes of severe airway obstruction. On clinical examination, he had a tracheal cough and monophonic wheezing. Imaging revealed a large lesion in the distal part of the trachea which was confirmed by bronchoscopy. The lesion was surgically removed. Histology revealed features characteristic of an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour. Following the resection there is no recurrence of the lesion. BACKGROUND

BackgroundThe diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) is based on the modified Duke/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2015 clinical criteria. The sensitivity of the criteria is unknown in South Africa, but high rates of blood culture negative endocarditis (BCNIE), coupled with a change in the clinical features of IE, may limit the sensitivity.MethodsThe Tygerberg Endocarditis Cohort study prospectively enrolled patients with IE between November 2019 and June 2021. A standardised protocol for organism detection, with management of patients by an Endocarditis Team, was employed. Patients with definite IE by pathological criteria were analysed to determine the sensitivity of the current clinical criteria.ResultsEighty consecutive patients with IE were included of which 45 (56.3%) had definite IE by pathological criteria. In patients with definite IE by pathological criteria, 26/45 (57.8%) of patients were classified as definite IE by clinical criteria. BCNIE was present in 25/45 (55.6%) of patients and less than three minor clinical criteria were present in 32/45 (75.6%) of patients. The elevation of Bartonella serology to a major microbiological criterion of the modified Duke/ESC 2015 clinical criteria would increase the sensitivity (57.8% vs 77.8%; p=0.07).ConclusionThe sensitivity of the modified Duke/ESC 2015 clinical criteria is lower than expected in patients with IE in South Africa, primarily due to the high rates of Bartonella-associated BCNIE. The elevation of Bartonella serology to a major microbiological criterion, similar to the status of Coxiella burnetii in the current criteria, would increase the sensitivity. The majority of patients with definite IE by pathological criteria had less than three minor criteria present.