Endocarditis Due to Neisseria elongata subspecies nitroreducens

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 20; no. 5; pp. 1431 - 1432
• Main Authors: Imperial, Henry L., Joho, Kim L., Alcid, David V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The University of Chicago Press 01-05-1995; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adult; Correspondence; Endocarditis; Endocarditis, Bacterial - etiology; Female; Fever; Humans; Infections; Neisseria; Neisseria - isolation & purification; Neisseriaceae Infections - etiology; Plant diseases; Vegetation
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1093/clinids/20.5.1431-a

We report a case of endocarditis due to Neisseria elongata subspecies nitroreducens (formerly Centers for Disease Control [CDC] group M-6), a Neisseria species usually considered to be nonpathogenic. A 31-year-old woman who had previously been well and had no significant medical history presented to the hospital with fever of 1 month's duration. She described the fever as worse in the morning and late evenings, and it was associated with occasional chills, malaise, headache, anorexia, myalgia, transient arthralgias of the knees and ankles, and a 10-lb weight loss. She did not have any rashes or genitourinary symptoms. A preemployment PPD tuberculin test performed 6 months earlier had been negative. She had not undergone any dental, genitourinary, or gastrointestinal procedures. She denied a history of intravenous drug use or blood transfusion but admitted to unprotected sex with several partners.