ABSTRACT
Background: To evaluate the role of blood culture in infective endocarditis patients attending a rural hospital of Maharashtra, India. Material and methods: One hundred thirty-eight blood samples from 46 patients with clinical diagnosis of infective endocarditis were investigated. Blood culture was done. After growth, Gram-staining, biochemicals and antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed. Results: Blood culture yielded a positive result in 24 cases. All the organisms isolated were gram-positive cocci. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant organism isolated followed by Streptococcus viridans. Most of the organisms were sensitive to cephalexin and ciprofloxacin. Conclusion: The initial therapy in our hospital may be aimed at gram-positive organisms and cephalexin and ciprofloxacin can be used as first-line drugs. This shows the role of microbiology is important in diagnosis of causative organisms responsible for infective endocarditis and their antibiotic susceptibility testing, which will be helpful in early and specific treatment.