Causes of infective endocarditis in the Western Cape, South Africa: a prospective cohort study using a set protocol for organism detection and central decision making by an endocarditis team.

The introduction of a set protocol for organism detection, managed by an endocarditis team, has identified Staphylococcusaureus as the most common cause of IE and identified non-culturable organisms, in particular Bartonella quintana, as an important cause of BCNIE. A reduction in in-hospital mortality in patients with BCNIE was observed, but did not reach statistical significance.