Stopped: Submission has now been withdrawn
Infective endocarditis (IE) is caused by bloodstream bacteria becoming adherent to, and eventually destroying, heart valve tissue. It is a condition that is becoming increasingly common and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. IE is more common in patients with previous valve replacements and those with congenital heart disease (both corrected and uncorrected). Current treatments in IE are extremely limited; patients are typically managed with intravenous antibiotics and high risk cardiac surgery. Based on unpublished pilot data (valve tissue) from a small cohort of patients (n=3), the investigators hypothesise that the immune system - which is usually responsible for fighting infections - in IE is overactive and may in fact play a role in disease progression. It is possible that adaptive immune cells (B- and T- lymphocytes) that have been exposed to cardiac proteins as a result of bacterial damage, may attack the heart and exacerbate valve destruction. The investigators hypothesise that through the analysis of adaptive immune cells in the blood and valve tissue, it will be possible to identify patients with IE who may have a form of autoimmune heart disease, who might stand to benefit from innovative immune-modulating therapies. To address this hypothesis, the investigators will undertake the following: 1. An observational cohort study in patients with IE to analyse the immune cell status in the peripheral blood and valve tissue (obtained at surgical explant).
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Peripheral and valvular cMET+ T-cell frequency
Timeframe: 18 months