Rethinking the Routine: Are Repeat Blood Cultures Necessary After Completion of Infective Endocarditis Treatment?

Regina, Jean; Ianculescu, Nicoleta; Tzimas, George; Monney, Pierre; Niclauss, Lars; Kirsch, Matthias; Guery, Benoit; Papadimitriou-Olivgeris, Matthaios · Clin Infect Dis · 2026

retrospective_cohort · Level III

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Abstract

Among 598 infective endocarditis (IE) episodes, follow-up blood cultures within 14 days of antimicrobial treatment completion were performed in 135 (23%) cases and detected only 2 (1.5%) recurrences. This strategy failed to identify 8 (6%) additional IE recurrences diagnosed between days 15 and 120, underscoring its limited utility.

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