Cure of bartonella endocarditis of a prosthetic aortic valve without surgery:: value of serologic follow-up

Bartonella species are emerging as an important cause of blood culture-negative endocarditis, but the optimal management of this disease has not been fully defined. We describe a case of subacute Bartonella henselae endocarditis of a prosthetic aortic valve in an immunocompetent woman that was cured with long-term antibiotic therapy alone. In addition, we demonstrate that follow-up of serologic titers against B. henselae was helpful in assessing definitive cure of the infection.