Qiqi Cheng,1 Xiaolin Zhou,1 Peng Wang,2 Rong Liu,3 Qiang Liu1 

1Department of Infectious Disease, Yichang Central People’s Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, 443000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Laboratory, Yichang Central People’s Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, 443000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ultrasound, Yichang Central People’s Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, 443000, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Qiang Liu, Department of Infectious Disease, Yichang Central People’s Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, 443000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13720181669, Email liuqiang@ctgu.edu.cn

Abstract: We report a rare case of mechanical aortic valve infective endocarditis caused by Neisseria sicca. A 44-year-old man, with a history of aortic valve replacement, presented to the hospital with a 10-day history of fever. Investigations revealed that the blood cultures grew Neisseria sicca. Although the transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) was negative, a transesophageal echocardiogram showed a 0.5 cm × 0.3 cm piece of vegetation attached to the aortic valve. After eight weeks of therapy, according to the antibiotic susceptibility test, the patient’s blood cultures were negative, and repeat TTE showed no vegetation. This report can offer valuable insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment of Neisseria sicca endocarditis, particularly when selecting sensitive antibiotics.

Keywords: infective endocarditis, Neisseria sicca, aortic valve, bacteremia