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Case Reports
. 2025 Aug 4;19(1):385.
doi: 10.1186/s13256-025-05470-1.

Infective endocarditis mimicking antineutrophil-cytoplasmic-antibody-associated vasculitis with glomerulonephritis: a case report

Ahmad Matarneh  1 , Sundus Sardar  2 , Abdelrauof Akkari  3 , Omar Salameh  3 , Naman Trivedi  2 , Muhammad Abdulbasit  2 , Navin Verma  2 , Ronald Miller  2 , Nasrollah Ghahramani  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Infective endocarditis mimicking antineutrophil-cytoplasmic-antibody-associated vasculitis with glomerulonephritis: a case report

Ahmad Matarneh et al. J Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Infective endocarditis occasionally presents with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody positivity, leading to diagnostic challenges and confusion, as it can be mislabeled antineutrophil-cytoplasmic-antibody-associated vasculitis. Distinguishing between these two factors is crucial for appropriate management.

Case presentation: In this case report, we describe a 77-year-old White non-Hispanic male patient who initially presented with features suggestive of antineutrophil-cytoplasmic-antibody-associated vasculitis but was ultimately diagnosed with infective endocarditis.

Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the need to rule out infective endocarditis in patients with suspected antineutrophil-cytoplasmic-antibody-associated vasculitis, as it can be the same, and management relies on different lines of therapy. Immunosuppression therapy can lead to devastating effects in patients with infective endocarditis.

Keywords: ANCA vasculitis; Autoimmune disease; Immune suppression; Infective endocarditis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for this study was waived by the Penn State Health Ethical Committee because this is a case report. Consent for publication: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal. Competing interests: The authors associated with this case report have no actual or possible conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Light microscopy showing fibrous crescent and segmental sclerosis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Light microscopy showing fibrous crescent
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Immunofluorescence showing diffuse IgM (A) and C3 (B) deposits within the mesangium
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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