A 25-year-old man who has recently started doing intravenous drugs presents to the emergency department with fever and evidence of mild tricuspid valve insufficiency. As far as he knows, he had no previous damage to his heart. What is the most likely causative agent?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

With tricuspid valve insufficiency in IVDA, the most common cause is Staphylococcus aureus, which generally presents as an acute infection. Viridans streptococci are also common in IVDU, possibly from the practice of licking the needle to make the injection less painful.

A 25-Year-Old Man Who Has Recently Started Doing Intravenous Drugs