Native Aortic Valve Endocarditis Associated With Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus Presenting With Spondylodiscitis: A Case Report

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a public health problem that can present patients with complex clinical scenarios and carry a significant risk of mortality and morbidity. The ability of clinicians to analyze these complex clinical scenarios may be facilitated by the inclusion of relevant case reports and reviews in the literature. To this end, we sought to add this complex case report to the literature. A 77-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a fever and widespread body pain, particularly in his chest, lower back, and buttocks. Initial investigations did not reveal any signs of IE. However, after ruling out other possible diagnoses, spondylodiscitis was detected via repeat lumbar magnetic resonance imaging. Methicillin-sensitive <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> was identified in the control blood culture, and vegetation was identified in the control cardiac imaging. Although laboratory and imaging findings cannot make a definitive diagnosis of IE in the early stages, repeated examinations can reach a definitive diagnosis in suspected cases. Therefore, clinicians should always consider endocarditis in patients with elevated acute-phase reactants and a clinical presentation suggestive of vascular or embolic phenomena.