Mitral valve endocarditis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a case report

Abstract

Previously, endocarditis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa mostly involved right-sided valvular infection and generally carried a good prognosis. Recently, changes have been observed in the occurrence and clinical presentation of pseudomonal endocarditis, with increasing incidence of nosocomial infections and involvement of the aortic and mitral valves. Still, pseudomonal left-sided endocarditis is rare, but is frequently associated with complications and high mortality rates. A case of a high-risk patient with coronary artery disease and left-ventricular dysfunction, successfully treated for pseudomonal mitral valve endocarditis complicated by splenic abscess formation, is presented here.

Cellular Effects of Pyocyanin, a Secreted Virulence Factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

“…However, P. aeruginosa is a rare cause of infective endocarditis and is seen primarily in injection drug users and patients undergoing cardiac procedures [3,4,5,6]. Therefore PCN potentially has an effect on the function of the vascular system in these patients.…”

“…Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for severe nosocomial infections in a number of body systems including the respiratory tract, the vascular system, the urinary tract, and the central nervous system (CNS) [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. It has been well documented that P. aeruginosa produces a number of secreted virulence factors known as phenazines.…”

A biomedical perspective of pyocyanin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: its applications and challenges

“…Further, it was shown that pyocyanin also increases prostaglandin E 2 and IL-6 levels in RT4 cells thus suppressing inflammatory responses during urinary tract infections (McDermott et al 2013 ). Though relatively less common, P. aeruginosa infection poses a risk to cardiac patients undergoing surgeries and other procedures as it can lead to bacterial endocarditis which is a lethal disease having a mortality rate of 20% (Polovina et al 2014 ). Pyocyanin’s effect on the vascular system has been reported by Hempenstall et al ( 2015 ) based on experimental studies conducted on porcine hearts.…”

In vitro activity of ceftolozane/tazobactam against clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the planktonic and biofilm states

“…Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a biofilm-producing Gram-negative bacillus frequently observed in life-threatening infections including but not limited to pulmonary infections in cystic fibrosis patients (Kuti, et al, 2015), intra-abdominal infections (Skalweit, 2015), endocarditis (Polovina, et al, 2014), prosthetic joint infections (Rodríguez-Pardo, et al, 2014), and ventilatorassociated pneumonia (Zhanel, et al, 2014). Of growing concern, a rise in P. aeruginosa strains resistant to commonly used antimicrobial agents, including carbapenems, piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftazidime and cefepime, has been reported (Zhanel, et al, 2014).…”