Abstract

A fatal case of penicillin resistant Staphylococcus lugdunensis endocarditis on a native valve damaged by rheumatic fever is described. A retrospective examination of 978 tube coagulase negative staphylococcal blood culture isolates was also performed to determine how often this species is isolated. None of the 978 isolates was identified as S lugdunensis. It is concluded that ornithine decarboxylase production is the only reliable method of identifying this species.