Endocarditis due to strain of Cardiobacterium hominis resistant to erythromycin and vancomycin

Chest. 1979 Jan;75(1):85-6. doi: 10.1378/chest.75.1.85.

Abstract

Endocarditis caused by Cardiobacterium hominis was observed in a penicillin-allergic patient with a prosthetic cardiac valve who had received prophylactic therapy with erythromycin for dental extractions. The organism was resistant to erythromycin and vancomycin, with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 12.5 microgram/ml and 25 microgram/ml, respectively, but was sensitive to penicillin G, tetracycline, cephalexin, and cefaclor. This case suggests that currently recommended antibiotic prophylactic therapy for endocarditis, especially in penicillin-allergic patients, may be inadequate for unusual pathogens such as C hominis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / drug effects
  • Bacterial Infections / prevention & control
  • Endocarditis, Bacterial / drug therapy
  • Endocarditis, Bacterial / microbiology*
  • Erythromycin / pharmacology*
  • Erythromycin / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Heart Valve Prosthesis
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Middle Aged
  • Mitral Valve / surgery
  • Penicillin G / therapeutic use
  • Penicillin Resistance
  • Premedication
  • Tooth Extraction*
  • Vancomycin / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Erythromycin
  • Vancomycin
  • Penicillin G