Infective Endocarditis Secondary to Bacteroides Thetaiotaomicron in a Patient With Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumor of Uncertain Malignant Potential: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Bacteroides species are significant clinical pathogens with an associated mortality of more than 19% and are found in most anaerobic infections. Our report documents for the first time a case of infective endocarditis (IE) secondary to Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BT). We discuss the case of a 65-year-old female with a medical history of smooth muscle tumor of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) who presented to the ED with lower quadrant pain. In the hospital, she was found to be in septic shock. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed large vegetation on the aortic valve with severe aortic regurgitation and a blood culture growing BT. We urge physicians to be alert to the fact that Gram-negative anaerobes like BT can cause IE.