Tropheryma whipplei is a bacterium that causes a rare infection called Whipple's disease and can cause devastating effects if left untreated. It is important to recognize that patients with this infection may present with atypical symptoms and are often apyrexial with normal inflammatory markers. Moreover, routine blood cultures often do not isolate these bacteria in conventional growth media. Therefore, it requires a high level of clinical suspicion to make this diagnosis. Here, we present two cases of Tropheryma whipplei aortic valve endocarditis, with atypical presentation and similar unusual but striking echocardiographic images.
Keywords: Whipple's endocarditis; echocardiography; polymerase chain reaction.
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