Infective Endocarditis Due to Treponema pallidum: A Case Diagnosed Using Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis of Aortic Valve

Sadahiro Hijikata; Igen Hongo; Shu-Ichi Nakayama; Tetsuo Yamaguchi; Yoshiyuki Sekikawa; Toshihiro Nozato; Takashi Ashikaga

doi:10.1016/j.cjca.2018.11.009

Infective Endocarditis Due to Treponema pallidum: A Case Diagnosed Using Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis of Aortic Valve

Can J Cardiol. 2019 Jan;35(1):104.e9-104.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2018.11.009. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Authors

Sadahiro Hijikata¹, Igen Hongo², Shu-Ichi Nakayama³, Tetsuo Yamaguchi⁴, Yoshiyuki Sekikawa², Toshihiro Nozato⁴, Takashi Ashikaga⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, Japanese Red Cross Musashino Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Infectious Diseases, Kanto Rosai Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan.
³ Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ Department of Cardiology, Japanese Red Cross Musashino Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

PMID: 30595174
DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2018.11.009

Abstract

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum. Syphilitic aortitis might coexist in a dysfunctional aortic valve, but the etiology remains unclear, because microbiological diagnosis is difficult. A 62-year-old man with low-grade fever was diagnosed with aortitis and infective endocarditis, due to Treponema pallidum infection, using polymerase chain reaction analysis. This case suggests that syphilis might cause infective endocarditis.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Aortic Valve / diagnostic imaging*
DNA, Bacterial / analysis*
Diagnosis, Differential
Echocardiography
Endocarditis, Bacterial / diagnosis*
Endocarditis, Bacterial / microbiology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
Syphilis, Cardiovascular / diagnosis*
Syphilis, Cardiovascular / microbiology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Treponema pallidum / genetics*

Substances

DNA, Bacterial