Aortic Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis Caused By Bartonella Henselae

Bartonella henselae is a facultative intracellular rod that can infect humans after being scratched or bitten by carrier cats. It is one of the causative agents of blood culture-negative endocarditis. We report the case of a 73-year-old patient with an aortic bioprosthesis. She had been bitten by her cat. One year later she was admitted for systemic symptoms of asthenia, anorexia and occasional fever of several months of evolution. Blood cultures were negative, but serological tests indicated infection with B. henselae. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography demonstrated prosthetic valve involvement. The patient underwent a redo procedure, and the postoperative evolution was satisfactory. The study of the infected prosthesis using molecular techniques allowed the identification of B. henselae. Some considerations regarding the diagnosis and management of this entity are discussed. (C) 2021 Sociedad Espanola de Cirugia Cardiovascular y Endovascular.