Satellite streptococci. A major cause of "negative" blood cultures in bacterial endocarditis?

In three of the 20 patients with bacterial endocarditis in our institution since 1975, satellite streptococci were recovered from the blood stream (15%). These organisms do not grow under usual laboratory conditions and may only be demonstrable after fortuitous contamination of the media. Clinicians and microbiologists must be alert to the possibility of satellite streptococci in patients with suspected bacterial endocarditis, and measures should be instituted to identify the organism.