# Pacemaker Infection and Parvimonas micra-Induced Prosthetic Aortic Valve Endocarditis With Periannular Abscess: A Case Report

## TL;DR

A 59-year-old man developed a rare heart infection caused by Parvimonas micra, linked to a pacemaker and prosthetic aortic valve, requiring emergency surgery.

## Contribution

This case report adds a new clinical example of Parvimonas micra-induced endocarditis and highlights its association with cardiac devices and dental infections.

## Key findings

- Parvimonas micra was identified as the causative agent using 16S rRNA sequencing from a prosthetic aortic valve.
- The infection was complicated by a periaortic abscess and severe aortic leak, requiring emergency valve replacement.
- A review of 11 prior cases suggests a link between Parvimonas micra IE and cardiac devices, dental infections, and periannular abscesses.

## Abstract

A 59-year-old man was admitted for a prosthetic aortic valve (AV)infectious endocarditis (IE), attributed to the pacemaker and complicated by a circumferential periaortic circulating abscess, a severe aortic periprosthetic leak, and left-sided heart failure. Blood cultures were negative on hospital day 3. He underwent an emergent AV biological valve replacement, and 16S rRNA bacterial gene sequencing performed on AV tissue identified the microorganism as Parvimonas micra. We reviewed the 11 cases of Parvimonas micra IE previously described. Some features seem to be abnormally frequent in this context: history of prosthetic valve or cardiac device, pacemaker infection, periannular abscess, and chronic dental infection.