A relapsed Pseudomonas stutzeri prosthetic valve endocarditis: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas stutzeri is a nonfluorescent denitrifying bacterium widely distributed in the environment, and it has also been isolated as an opportunistic pathogen from humans. It is a Gram-negative bacterium and a common inhabitant of soil and water. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 51-year-old arab gentleman who has systemic lupus erythematous complicated by lupus nephritis and underwent renal transplantation twice. He underwent mitral valve replacement and 4 years later was diagnosed with prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Pseudomonas stutzeri. CONCLUSIONS: Literature review was conducted and revealed that this pathogen may be of a particular medical relevance in immunocompromised patients. Our case proves that early infection and relapse despite optimal antibiotics course are possible outcomes of Pseudomonas stutzeri endocarditis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of fulminant early prosthetic valve endocarditis occurring only 1 month post-cardiac surgery with relapse despite a complete antibiotics course.