Streptobacillus moniliformis mitral valve endocarditis and septic arthritis: the challenges of diagnosing rat-bite fever endocarditis

Infect Dis Rep. 2018 Sep 24;10(2):7731. doi: 10.4081/idr.2018.7731. eCollection 2018 Sep 5.

Abstract

Streptobacillus moniliformis, the cause of rat-bite fever (RBF) in the United States, has rarely been reported as a cause of infectious endocarditis. In the majority of previously reported cases, the diagnosis was clinically- based in patients with underlying valvular abnormalities in the setting of positive blood culture for Streptobacillus moniliformis. We report a case of native valve endocarditis secondary to Streptobacillus moniliformis in a woman with a mitral valve vegetation but negative blood cultures where the diagnosis was established using molecular diagnostics on the valvular tissue.

Keywords: Endocarditis; Streptobacillus moniliformis.; rat bite fever.