Endocarditis, Bacterial

The immediate cause is bacterial entry into the bloodstream followed by infection of the endocardium. The bacterial strains involved vary with predisposing factors, and the literature notes a shift in causative pathogens over time, with staphylococci now often overtaking streptococci as the main pathogens.

Bacteria in the bloodstream seed the endocardial surface, producing infection and inflammation of the endocardium. The disease commonly affects heart valves, including prosthetic valves, and diagnostic literature emphasizes imaging and microbiologic methods to detect this endocardial infection.

Predisposing factors include congenital heart defects, heart valve diseases, heart valve prosthesis implantation, and intravenous drug use. Review literature also identifies degenerative valvopathies and the presence of prosthetic heart valves as important risk factors.

Management is described at the level of prevention, diagnosis, and therapy rather than specific regimens. The grounding supports prevention of infective endocarditis in high-risk settings, and treatment is generally antibiotic therapy guided by microbiology and diagnostic criteria; imaging modalities such as 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET and cardiac CT are used in diagnosis.