Corynebacterium diphtheriae endocarditis with multifocal septic emboli: can prompt diagnosis help avoid surgery?

Patient: Male, 23.

Final Diagnosis: Corynebacterium diphtheriae endocarditis.

Symptoms: Abdominal pain • cachexia • diarrhea • fever • vomiting.

Medication: -.

Clinical Procedure: Mitral valve replacement.

Specialty: Surgery.

Objective: Rare disease.

Background: Although Corynebacterium diphtheriae is well known for causing diphtheria and other respiratory tract infections, in very rare cases it can lead to severe systemic disease.

Case Report: This is a case of a previously healthy young man (no prosthetic valve in situ or other known congenital defect), presenting with a Corynebacterium diphtheriae infection leading to endocarditis. The patient reported no I.V. drug use, so it can be assumed that no risk factors for infective endocarditis were present.

Conclusions: This report aims to raise suspicion for this specific infection in order to proceed with the right treatment as soon as possible.