Abstract
Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infrequent endovascular disease, which can result in significant mortality and morbidity. Staphylococcus aureus and viridans streptococci remain the most common etiological agent. Cardiobacterium hominis, a member of the HACEK (Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter species, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species) group of fastidious gram-negative bacillus, is a part of normal upper respiratory flora and a rare cause implicated in IE. Cases of Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis are being increasingly reported in last few years due to advancement in automated blood culture system such as BacT/ALERT Virtuo(®) and identification system such as MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry). We herein report a first case of Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis in a pregnant woman at 20 weeks of gestation. Following spontaneous abortion and evacuation of the fetus, appropriate surgical intervention under heparinized condition and pathogen-directed medical intervention was initiated in this patient. This case report highlights the importance of appropriate antimicrobial therapy, which augments earlier resolution of the disease.