Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis for Diagnosis of Tropheryma whippelii Infective Endocarditis in Two Patients with No Previous Evidence of Whipple's Disease

Abstract

Blood culture-negative infective endocarditis (IE) is often caused by fastidious organisms that grow poorly or not at all on acellular media, such as Coxiella burnetii, Bartonella species, or Chlamydia [1]. Despite the use of appropriate diagnostic techniques (i.e., serology and cell culture), no microbial agents are identified in a number of definite cases of IE. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis with primers targeting the eubacterial 16S rRNA gene provide powerful etiologic tools in such cases [2].We report two cases of IE caused by Tropheryma whippelii, the causative agent of Whipple's disease, that were diagnosed by means of PCR analysis of resected heart valve specimens.