Culture-negative endocarditis

Endocarditis (culture-negative)

Culture-negative endocarditis is an infection and inflammation of the lining of one or more heart valves, but in which no endocarditis-causing germs (typically bacteria) can be found in a routine blood culture (most often 2 or 3 cultures are done when endocarditis is suspected). This is because certain germs do not grow well in a lab setting, or some people have received antibiotics in the past that keep such germs from growing outside of the body.

Endocarditis is usually a result of a bloodstream infection. Bacteria can enter the bloodstream during certain medical procedures, including dental procedures or through intravenous injection using non-sterile needles. Then bacteria can travel to the heart, where they can settle on heart valves.

Culture-negative endocarditis

Endocarditis is an infection and inflammation of the valves in the heart. When the infection cannot be cultured and linked to any causative organism from the bloodstream, it is referred to as culture-negative endocarditis.