Bartonella quintana prosthetic valve endocarditis detected by blood culture incubation beyond 10 days.

We describe the case of a 45-year-old man with mitral and aortic prosthetic valve replacement who presented with symptoms of subacute bacterial endocarditis. Bartonella quintana was grown from blood after prolonged culture. The course of the disease was complicated by splenic infarction, glomerulonephritis resulting in progressive renal insufficiency, and cerebroventricular hemorrhage. Notably, cardiac ultrasonography showed no extensive vegetations but a strand-like lesion. Culture-positive B. quintana prosthetic valve endocarditis in a formerly healthy subject represents a newly observed entity. It should be added to the differential diagnosis of prosthetic valve endocarditis, especially when it presents with features suggesting subacute bacterial endocarditis.