Infectious Endocarditis Caused by Multidrug-resistant Corynebacterium striatum in an Immunocompetent Host without a History of Cardiac Disease.

Corynebacterium striatum, which inhabits the human skin and mucous membranes, is generally considered to have low pathogenic potential. It rarely causes infectious endocarditis in immunocompetent hosts without underlying cardiac disease. We report a case of infectious endocarditis caused by multidrug-resistant Corynebacterium striatum in a 75-year-old man with no history of cardiac disease or other predisposing conditions following endoscopic mucosal resection of the rectum. When C. striatum is isolated from blood cultures, careful evaluation of potential underlying risk factors is essential to distinguish true infection from contamination.