
Overview
Endocarditis is an infection and inflammation of the valves in the heart. When the infection cannot be cultured and linked to any causative organism from the bloodstream, it is referred to as culture-negative endocarditis.
Review Date 12/4/2022
Updated by: Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.