ENDOCARDITIS DUE TO MICROCOCCUS TETRAGENUS
Authors: James E. Hansen, George Miller, Byron E. Pollock
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1954)

Case Reports1 June 1954ENDOCARDITIS DUE TO MICROCOCCUS TETRAGENUSJAMES E. HANSEN, GEORGE MILLER, BYRON E. POLLOCKJAMES E. HANSENSearch for more papers by this author, GEORGE MILLERSearch for more papers by this author, BYRON E. POLLOCKSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-40-6-1207 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptMicrococcus tetragenus (Gaffkya tetragena) is an extremely variable bacterium which rarely causes endocarditis. It is closely related to the staphylococcus, and was initially reported (by Gaffky in 1881) to be a saprophytic inhabitant of the respiratory tract. Since that time, M. tetragenus has been reported as the infecting organism in approximately 200 patients, with involvement of the respiratory tract, central nervous system, skeletal system, genito-urinary tract, and the cardiovascular system. The literature refers to approximately 12 cases of endocarditis due to this organism,1 only two of which are in the American literature.2The following case illustrates the difficulty of obtaining...Bibliography1. Reimann HA (a) : Micrococcus tetragenus infection. I. Review of the literature, report of a non-fatal case with septicemia, meningitis, and arthritis, and bacteriologic studies, J. Clin. Investigation 14: 311-319 (May) 1935. (b) Barreda, P.: Endocarditis bacteriana subaguda, Rev. clín, españ. 34: 340-341 (Sept. 15) 1949. (c) De Oya, J. C., and Segovia de Arana, J. M.: Endocarditis bacteriana subaguda por Gaffkya tetragena, Rev. clín, españ. 43: 413-416 (Dec. 31) 1951. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Seabury JH (a) : Subacute bacterial endocarditis: experiences during the past decade, Arch. Int. Med. 79: 1-21 (Jan.) 1947. (b) Boynton, R. D.: Subacute bacterial endocarditis caused by Gaffkya tetragena, report of a case, New England J. Med. 243: 738-740 (Nov. 9) 1950. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. BreedMurrayHitchens RSEGAP: Bergey's Manual of determinative bacteriology, 6th Ed., 1948, Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, pp. 283-284. Google Scholar4. McGowanKisner TSP: A review of meningitis due to Micrococcus tetragenus: report of one case with bacteriologic study, Arch. Int. Med. 64: 15-25 (July) 1939. CrossrefGoogle Scholar5. Criscitiello M (a) : Meningitis due to Micrococcus tetragenus: report of a case with recovery following treatment with sulfanilamide, New England J. Med. 221: 383-385 (Sept. 7) 1939. (b) Leach, J. E., and Medinger, F. G.: Micrococcus tetragenus meningitis: report of a case and review of the literature, Ann. Int. Med. 15: 609-616 (Sept.) 1941. CrossrefGoogle Scholar6. Rambach WA: Penicillin and Aureomycin therapy in Micrococcus tetragenus septicemia, Quart. Bull., Northwestern Univ. M. School 24: 280-284 (Winter) 1950. Google Scholar7. MillerHansenPollock GJEBE: Staphylococcus endocarditis: a report of three cured cases, Am. Heart J. 47: 453-461 (Mar.) 1954. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Reimann HA: Micrococcus tetragenus infection. II. Description of variant forms, J. Bact. 31: 385-405 (Apr.) 1936; Micrococcus tetragenus infection. III. Immunologic studies of variant forms, and discussion, J. Bact. 31: 407-421 (Apr.) 1936; Micrococcus tetragenus infection. IV. Bacterial type transformation, J. Bact. 33: 499-511 (May) 1937; Micrococcus tetragenus infection. V. The significance of bacterial variation, J. Bact. 33: 513-523 (May) 1937. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. MockWynne FSES: The sensitivity of Gaffkya tetragena strains to penicillin and streptomycin, J. Infect. Dis. 87: 10-12 (July-Aug.) 1950. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: San Francisco, California*Received for publication September 8, 1953.From the Medical Service, Letterman Army Hospital, San Francisco, California. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byMicrococcus luteus pneumonia: A case report and review of the literatureErkrankungen des EndokardLeptomeningitis due to Gaffkya tetragena 1 June 1954Volume 40, Issue 6Page: 1207-1212KeywordsCentral nervous systemEndocarditisMedical servicesNervous systemRespiratory systemStaphylococcusUpper respiratory tract infections ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 June 1954 PDF downloadLoading ...