Extensive Salmonella enteritidis Endocarditis Involving Mitral, Tricuspid Valves, Aortic Root and Right Ventricular Wall

After conducting a PubMed search, 11 articles describing a total of 12 cases of native valve Salmonella enteritidis (S. enteritidis) endocarditis were identified in the English literature. Only 13 cases of prosthetic valve endocarditis attributed to S. enteritidis have been published in the English literature. Only 1 case involving the myocardium and other valves concomitantly could be located. Transthoracic echocardiography proved inadequate to demonstrate valvular vegetations. Transesophageal echocardiography was instrumental in establishing the diagnosis of endocarditis by documenting vegetations. S. enteritidis endocarditis can cause devastating endovascular infections in immunocompromised patients. Patients who present with multiple vague symptoms with medical histories that include diabetes mellitus, immunocompromise, and prosthetic heart valves should alert clinicians to strongly consider S. enteritidis endocarditis in their differential diagnoses. Despite considerable effort, S. enteritidis endocarditis poses very high risk for morbidity and mortality. (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2009;22:210.e1-e3.)