TABLE 3.

Long-term persistence of bacterial DNA in patients who had completed antibiotic treatment for IE at the time of surgery^a

Case/age/sexb	Bacterium	Involved valve	Delay between diagnosis and surgery
1/55/M	Staphylococcus pneumoniae	Aortic bioprosthesis	7 yr
2/69/F	S. bovis	Aortic, native	167 days
3/80/M	S. bovis	Mitral, native	730 days
4/39/M	Enterococcus faecium	Aortic bioprosthesis	850 days
5/36/M	Streptococcus gordonii	Aortic, native	45 days
6/33/M	Bartonella quintana	Aortic homograft	224 days
7/70/F	Streptococcus sanguinis	Mitral bioprosthesis	545 days

^aAll patients had no clinical or histological signs of IE, and valve cultures were sterile.

^bM, male; F, female.