Fatal Endocarditis Caused by Arcanobacterium haemolyticum: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

© 2012 Elsevier 0196-4399/00 (see frontmatter) 13 Introduction Arcanobacterium haemolyticum (formerly Corynebacterium haemolyticum) is a gram-positive bacillus that is mainly implicated in pharyngitis and skin infections. Most of these infections occur in the adolescent age group, sometimes mixed with other pathogens. This microorganism is sometimes overlooked in the clinical microbiology laboratory because it is rare. The colonies may be dismissed as insignificant or misidentified as Streptococcus or Corynebacterium species, resulting in a missed or delayed diagnosis. Endocarditis is rarely caused by the bacterium and has been reported in only three cases in the literature. In this case report, we present a fatal case of endocarditis associated with a congenital bicuspid aortic valve. We also describe the laboratory methods used for the identification of the organism, together with a brief review of the literature on reported cases of A. haemolyticum infection.