Native valve Staphylococcus capitis infective endocarditis: a mini review.

PURPOSE: Even though prosthetic valve endocarditis due to coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) is widely documented and attracts global attention, native valve endocarditis due to CoNS has been also described lately and may warrant closer attention due to the relative increased incidence. METHODS: We describe a 35-year-old male patient who is a former resident of a long-term health-care facility with multiple co-morbidities, diagnosed with native aortic valve S. capitis endocarditis and underwent conservative antimicrobial treatment with full recovery and no recurrence after 6 months' follow-up. In addition, we reviewed the English literature on all reported cases of S. capitis endocarditis. RESULTS: Infective endocarditis due to S. capitis has thus far been described in 13 patients. All but three had involved native valves with two infected prosthetic valves and a single case of infection in an implanted transvenous pacemaker. Although the number of cases of endocarditis due to S. capitis is small, early removal of either a prosthetic valve or infected pacemaker would appear prudent, while native valve endocarditis could successfully be treated with appropriate antimicrobials alone. CONCLUSIONS: Staphylococcus capitis is classified as coagulase-negative staphylococci with the inherent ability to cause debilitating native valve endocarditis and is usually managed conservatively.

A Case of Cytomegalovirus Colitis in an Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patient.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the herpesvirus family. In the immunocompetent host, CMV infection is usually mild and goes unnoticed. Patients become prone to CMV infection as a result of immunosuppressive drugs or disorders that weaken cellular immunity. In severe COVID-19 infection, the patient experiences a drop in his T lymphocytes and becomes prone to opportunistic infections such as CMV colitis. In this paper, we presented a rare case of CMV colitis in a 54-year-old female with a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) polymerase chain reaction. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and intubated due to the severity of her presentation. The patient received high-dose dexamethasone followed by a tapering dose of prednisolone. Fifteen days post-admission, the patient started to have melena with a drop in her hemoglobin. Sigmoidoscopy revealed ulcerated lesions that extended 5 cm proximally, and multiple biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of CMV colitis. The patient was started on ganciclovir 5 mg/kg intravenously for 21 days. The patient's symptoms improved to the point where she no longer complained of melena, and her hemoglobin level normalized. The patient was discharged home in stable condition, to be followed later in the outpatient clinic.

A Case Report of Tuberculosis in the Finger.

Tuberculosis is a chronic, infectious disease that predominantly affects the respiratory system. Of the least common extrapulmonary forms of the disease is cutaneous tuberculosis. We present an unusual case, which is of cutaneous tuberculosis in the finger, manifesting as an ulcerating, erythematous lesion. This had later spread to the adjacent soft tissue and bones, causing osteomyelitis of the phalanges. It is important that physicians maintain a high index of suspicion when faced with atypical skin lesions to avoid the sequelae of the local and disseminated spread of a tuberculosis infection.