Kocuria rosea is an Actinobacteria belonging to the family Micrococcaceae. Despite being rare, infections to Kocuria species have been reported more often in the last decade, usually in immunocompromised hosts. Here we report a case of a 62-year-old immunocompetent male, with a ventricular septal defect who was diagnosed with infective endocarditis due to Kocuria rosea identified in four blood cultures. The patient completed five weeks of empiric antibiotic combination therapy with complete resolution of the infection. Although infection by Kocuria species is rare, due to better identification methods, it is becoming a more frequent diagnosis. Further studies are needed to investigate the susceptibility and resistance of these pathogens in order to develop specific guidelines for antibiotic treatment.
Key words: Kocuria rosea, Infective endocarditis, Ventricular septal defect
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