infective endocarditis in northern Alberta: A case report.

We present a case of infective endocarditis requiring valvular surgery in an Indigenous patient from northern Alberta that was identified months after initial presentation to hospital with undifferentiated laboratory abnormalities. Syndromes caused by are often challenging to diagnose due to their non-specific presentation and the difficulty in detecting this organism using traditional culture methods. Additionally, risk factors for include marginal housing and alcohol use disorder, which often impede access to health care. Indigenous patients in northern Canada often face worse health outcomes compared with other regions owing to poor economic conditions, substandard housing, and limited access to health care resources. Given that risk factors for are prevalent throughout northern Canada and that this infection is difficult to diagnose, we surmise that the prevalence of infection is underestimated in northern Canada.