Treatment of Blood Culture-Negative Infective Endocarditis Due to Legionella
This protocol covers the specific scenario of infective endocarditis in which routine blood cultures yield no growth and Legionella spp. is established as the causative pathogen — a rare but distinct presentation requiring a targeted treatment strategy.
Blood culture-negative infective endocarditis due to Legionella spp. Standard culture methods are frequently unreliable for this intracellular organism, making microbiological identification through alternative testing essential to guide management.
Antibiotic therapy with agents specifically active against Legionella — drawn from fluoroquinolone or macrolide classes — is the basis of the recommended regimen. The complete structured protocol, including agent selection, route, and duration, is available via the link below.
References
DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad193
Levofloxacin (500 mg/12 h) i.v. or orally for ≥6 weeks or clarithromycin (500 mg/12 h) i.v. for 2 weeks, then orally for 4 weeks plus rifampin (300–1200 mg/24 h)
View source ↗