[Infectious endocarditis caused by rare germs. Review of the literature apropos of 2 cases].

The authors report two new cases of endocarditis secondary to exceptionnally encountered germs: one to Pasteurella pneumotropica, the other ascribed to Leptospira ictero-haemorragiae, on serologic criteria. Concerning these two cases, they propose to take a census of rare germs, from a detailed study of the literature. Among more than 5,000 cases of endocarditis published after 1944, are considered as rare germs those causing a disease in less than one p. cent of the cases. This purely "mathematical" definition enable to include 45 germs. A synthesis of all the cases reported attempts to demonstrate a few particular traits of these endocardites secondary to rare germs.