Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) prosthetic valve Listeria monocytogenes infective endocarditis. A case report

<p><strong>Background: </strong></p> <p><em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> is known to cause gastrointestinal tract, meningeal and occasionally blood stream infections in immunocompromised patients. It’s often overlooked as a cause of infective endocarditis (IE), more so in patients with prosthetic valves.</p> <p><strong>Case presentation</strong></p> <p>We present an 85-year-old Caucasian man who was admitted with unexplained symptoms of predominantly left-sided heart failure. He was found to have <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> bacteremia on routine admission blood cultures. A follow up trans-esophageal echocardiography revealed aortic valve vegetations. He markedly improved with complete symptom resolution after six weeks of intravenous ampicillin and gentamicin without surgical intervention.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong></p> <p>Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for infective endocarditis in elderly patients with prosthetic valves presenting with Listeria monocytogenes bacteremia, as prompt echocardiographic evaluation and prolonged combination antibiotic therapy can prevent complications</p>