Abiotrophia defectiva endocarditis in a child

Abiotrophia defectiva is a gram-¬‐positive coccobacilli that specifically grown in chocolate blood agar and Brucella agar. Infectious diseases caused by A. defectiva are extremely rare, and identification of this pathogen is important, as its bacterial characteristics require proper attention. An 8-¬‐year-¬‐old Chinese girl who is a known case of small perimembranous ventricular septal defect (PMVSD) presented with recurrent high grade fever, cough and poor oral intake for a week. The organism isolated from bloodspecimens from the patient was identified as A. defectiva. Her echocardiogram showed there was large vegetation at pulmonary valve extending on to the main pulmonary artery and right ventricular cavity. Due to detection of vegetations during her follow-¬‐up, she was readmitted for further management. Her conditions improved after antibiotics therapy, and she was on routine follow-¬‐up every 2 weeks. Clinically it is important to diagnose early so that the treatment can be started as soon as possible and improved the patient’s condition.