Brucella endocarditis: case report and review of the literature.

Cardiac involvement in childhood brucellosis is rare and, when present, findings are usually seen in acute rheumatic fever with endocarditis. We report a successfully treated case of Brucella endocarditis in which the aortic valve was affected. Medical therapy did not cure this patient who, due to hemodynamic deterioration, required valve replacement. This case report suggests that successful management of Brucella endocarditis requires a combination of medical and early surgical therapy.