Staphylococcal bacteremia: distinguishing endocarditis.

Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent cause of endocarditis as well as bacteremia arising from noncardiac sites. Differentiation of endocardial from nonendocardial S. aureus bacteremia is often difficult, especially in febrile patients with S. aureus sepsis and no indentifiable focus. A number of clinical and laboratory features help distinguish these two bacteremias.