Necrotizing ANCA-Positive Glomerulonephritis Secondary to Culture-Negative Endocarditis

Abstract EN

Infective endocarditis (IE) and small-vessel vasculitis may have similar clinical features, including glomerulonephritis.

Furthermore the association between IE and ANCA positivity is well documented, making differential diagnosis between IE- and ANCA-associated vasculitis particularly difficult, especially in case of culture-negative IE.

We report on one patient with glomerulonephritis secondary to culture-negative IE caused by Bartonella henselae which illustrates this diagnostic difficulty.