Bacterial endocarditis of mitral valve in Marfan syndrome

An unusual case of bacterial endocarditis in Marfan syndrome is reported. A review of the published reports revealed 21 previously reported cases. The aortic valve, though commonly abnormal in Marfan syndrome, was rarely involved by the endocarditis. In contrast, the mitral valve was the favoured site of infection in these patients. Our own patient had staphylococcal endocarditis of both the aortic and mitral valves, the only such combination of infecting organism and sites in the published reports to date. The low incidence of aortic valve involvement remains unexplained. There is extreme mortality in Marfan patients affected by endocarditis, and, it seems, only one documented cure in the entire published reports.