Escherichia coli native valve endocarditis.

Among 36 cases of Escherichia coli native valve endocarditis (NVE) that met Duke criteria (31 cases in the literature between 1909 and 2002, and five cases seen in Paris, France), the urinary tract was the most common portal of entry. The majority (72.2%) of cases developed in elderly females. Overall, the proportion of patients aged > 70 years rose from 5.3% in 1982 to 22.9% in 2002. Persistent E. coli bacteraemia in the elderly in the absence of cardiac risk-factors may be a sign of NVE and should prompt an investigation by echocardiography.