12th March 2024

A 28-year-old music student is referred to you with complaints of fatigue, dry cough, night sweats and a persistent low-grade fever.

A 28-year-old music student is referred to you with complaints of fatigue, dry cough, night sweats and a persistent low-grade fever. He has no past medical history and is immunocompetent. On auscultation, a new pansystolic murmur is heard. You suspect infective endocarditis and take three sets of blood cultures prior to initiating empirical antibiotics. A transthoracic echocardiogram reveals a 0.3mm vegetation on the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. A few days later, all three sets of blood cultures show no growth. Which of the following organisms is likely to have caused this patient’s infective endocarditis?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.