Enterococcus durans prosthetic valve endocarditis: a previously unreported clinical entity

Infective endocarditis (IE) remains an important clinical entity associated with significant morbidity despite appropriate antibiotic and surgical therapy. Enterococcus durans (<i>E.durans</i>) is an extremely uncommon pathogen in IE with only few cases of native valve IE due to this organism reported in the literature. Prosthetic valve IE has not been previously decribed as complicating <i>E.durans</i> infection with the natural history and response to therapy unclear. Endocarditis with the more commonly recognised forms of enterococci are typically less aggressive with a low incidence of embolisation and tend to respond to antibiotic therapy. We report a case of <i>E.durans</i> endocarditis involving a bioprosthetic aortic valve resulting in embolic complications, progressive valve dysfunction requiring surgical intervention and early recurrence after valve replacement