Abstract 14522: Infective Mitral Valve Endocarditis in an Immunocompetent Patient Caused by Lactobacillus Species Transmitted by Intranasal Cocaine Use

Abstract

A 59-year-old male with controlled DM2, HTN, tobacco abuse, and remote MSSA bacteremia secondary to longstanding intranasal cocaine use (never IV drug user) presented to the ER with acute onset of left leg pain. He was in extreme distress and examination showed a cold left leg with absent extremity pulses. Cardiac assessment was notable for an apical systolic murmur. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the leg revealed a thrombotic occlusion of the left common femoral artery extending into the popliteal artery prompting emergent successful femoral artery thrombectomy and compartment fasciotomy. An intraoperative TEE revealed mobile echodensities on the anterior and posterior MV leaflets with severe eccentric mitral regurgitation (MR) [Figure1]. Blood and thrombectomy debris cultures yielded Lactobacillus acidophilus vs. gasseri species. Further workup showed multiple small embolic infarcts on MRA head and chronic sinusitis on CT sinuses, while CT chest, abdomen and pelvis were unremarkable. He received IV ampicillin for 1 week with bacterial clearance, followed by bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement. Gram stain of the mitral valve revealed gram positive rods, cultures grew Lactobacillus species, and histopathology confirmed the presence of infective endocarditis. The patient completed 7 weeks of penicillin G intravenously with clinical recovery. Lactobacillus acidophilus and gasseri are normal flora of the human oral cavity, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Lactobacillus endocarditis is rare and has been identified in only 0.05-0.4% of endocarditis cases. Infections primarily affect the immunocompromised, but to the best of our knowledge this is the first case of Lactobacillus mitral valve endocarditis presenting with concomitant acute limb ischemia with infected thromboembolic debris in an immunocompetent individual with the suspected inciting event being intranasal cocaine use causing trauma to the nasal vasculature.