Repeat infective endocarditis: differentiating relapse from reinfection

Clin Infect Dis. 2005 Aug 1;41(3):406-9. doi: 10.1086/431590. Epub 2005 Jun 14.

Abstract

Repeat infective endocarditis due to the same species can represent relapse of the initial infection or a new infection. We used time-based clinical criteria and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-based molecular criteria to classify 13 cases of repeat infective endocarditis as either relapse or reinfection. The agreement between clinical and molecular criteria was imperfect (agreement in 10 [77%] of 13 cases).

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Endocarditis, Bacterial / microbiology*
  • Endocarditis, Bacterial / prevention & control*
  • Enterococcus faecalis / isolation & purification
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / microbiology
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Propionibacterium acnes / isolation & purification
  • Recurrence
  • Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
  • Staphylococcus epidermidis / isolation & purification
  • Streptococcus sanguis / isolation & purification