Table 2.

Yield of standard workup and sonication/centrifugation in positively tested heart valves from patients with active endocarditis (22 valves from 18 patients).

Pt nr	Heart valve	AB days	Blood culture prior to surgery	Standard		Sonication/centrifugation		Valve
				Culture (C) Plates (P)	16S-PCR	Culture (C) Plates (P)	16S-PCR
1	N-AV	4	Staphylococcus aureus	C: 2+, P: all pos	pos	C: 2+, P: all pos	pos	Staphylococcus aureus
2	Bio P-PV	25	Streptococcus parasanguinis	neg	pos	neg	pos	Streptococcus spp.
2	Bio P-AV	25	Streptococcus parasanguinis	neg	pos	neg	pos	Streptococcus spp.
3	N-TV*	27	Haemophilus parainfluenzae	neg	neg	neg	pos	Haemophilus parainfluenzae
4	Bio P-AV*	19	neg	neg	pos	C: 58 CFU, P: BBA pos	neg	Propionibacterium acnes
11	Mech P-AV	0	neg	C: 1+, P: BBA pos	pos	C: 2+, P: BBA pos	pos	Propionibacterium acnes
14	N-PV	54	neg†	neg	pos	neg	neg	Tropheryma whipplei
14	N-AV	54	neg†	neg	pos	neg	neg	Tropheryma whipplei
29	Mech P-AV*	28	neg	neg	pos	C: 1 CFU, P: BBA pos	pos	Propionibacterium acnes
30	Bio P-AV*	0	neg	C: 1 CFU, P: BBA pos	neg	C: 2 CFU, P: BBA pos	neg	Propionibacterium acnes
				C: 2 CFU, P: BA pos	neg	C: 1 CFU, P: CHOC pos	neg	Staphylococcus capitis
32	N-AV	38	Enterococcus faecalis	neg	pos	neg	pos	Enterococcus faecalis
32	N-MV	38	Enterococcus faecalis	neg	pos	neg	neg	Enterococcus faecalis
46	Bio P-AV*	7	Propionibacterium acnes	neg	neg	C: 9 CFU, P: BBA pos	neg	Propionibacterium acnes
47	N-AV	27	Staphylococcus dysgalactiae	neg	pos	neg	pos	Staphylococcus dysgalactiae
48	N-AV	26	Streptococcus mitis	neg	pos	neg	pos	Streptococcus mitis
49	N-AV	25	Streptococcus salivarius	neg	pos	neg	neg	Streptococcus salivarius
51	Bio P-AV	0	neg	C: 20 CFU, P: BBA pos	neg	C: 76 CFU, P: BBA pos	neg	Propionibacterium acnes
52	N-AV*	15	Enterococcus faecalis	C: 1+, P: BBA	neg	C: 4 CFU, P: BA	pos	Enterococcus faecalis
			neg	C: 1+, P: BBA	neg	C: 6 CFU, P: BBA	neg	Propionibacterium acnes
52	Bio P-MV*	15	Enterococcus faecalis	C: 1+, P: BBA	neg	C: 2 CFU, P: BBA	neg	Propionibacterium acnes
55	N-AV	31	Staphylococcus aureus	neg	pos	neg	neg	Staphylococcus aureus
56	N-AV	29	Streptococcus gordonii	neg	pos	neg	pos	Streptococcus gordonii
58	Mech P-AV*	19	Propionibacterium acnes	neg	pos	C: 22 CFU, P: BBA	pos	Propionibacterium acnes

*Clinically useful diagnostic information added by sonication/centrifugation; ^†Tropheryma whipplei identified with PCR on full blood; 1+: 10–100 CFU; 2+: 100–1000 CFU; 3+: >1000 CFU; AB days = number of days on antibiotic therapy prior to surgery; Bio = biological; CFU = colony forming unit; Mech = mechanical; N-AV = native aortic valve; neg = negative; N-MV = native mitralis valve; N-PV = native pulmonary valve; N-TV = native tricuspid valve; P-AV = prosthetic aortic valve; plates = solid media including BA, CHOC, and BBA plates; pos = positive; P-PV = prosthetic pulmonary valve; pt nr = patient number; Standard = standard workup, including direct culture on solid media (BA, CHOC, and BBA plates); Sonication/centrifugation: the sonication procedure of the explanted heart valve where after centrifugation of sonication fluid and thereafter culture of the sediment on solid media (BA, CHOC, and BBA plates).