Xiuxin Tang,1,* Zhiyun Liu,2,* Danni Li,3 Yan Xiong,3 Kang Liao,1 Yili Chen1 

1Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huizhou Central People ‘s Hospital, Huizhou, Guangdong, 516001, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Emergency Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Yili Chen, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510080, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8620-87330808-8461, Fax +8620-87330808, Email chenyli3@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Background: Elizabethkingia anophelis, an opportunistic pathogen that can cause infections in multiple parts of the human body, has multiple drug resistance and a high mortality rate. However, there have been few reports of infective endocarditis (IE) caused by Elizabethkingia anophelis, which means that diagnosis and treatment face challenges that cannot be ignored. Rapid and accurate identification and drug sensitivity results are needed to make timely treatment adjustments.
Case Presentation: An 81-year-old man presented with recurrent fever and increased infection index for more than a month. Based on his clinical symptoms, infection index, reduplicative blood cultures, and results of transesophageal echocardiography, he was ultimately diagnosed with infective endocarditis caused by Elizabethkingia anophelis. The patient had a favorable outcome with a 6-week course of intravenous antibiotic therapy.
Conclusion: This is a rare and successfully cured case of IE caused by the pathogen of Elizabethkingia anophelis, which is difficult not only in diagnosis but also in treatment. This case provides a certain referential significance to the treatment of Elizabethkingia anophelis-caused IE in clinical practice.

Keywords: Elizabethkingia anophelis, infective endocarditis, drug resistance, treatment