Infective endocarditis (IE) after the implantation of a bovine jugular vein (BJV) graft in the right ventricular outflow tract has recently been described to be more frequent than for other conduits.1 Yet, the exact mechanisms that drive this phenomenon are under discussion. Jalal and colleagues2 were the first to study bacterial adhesion to different tissues in vitro; their clinical bacterial isolates displayed increased adherence to BJV valves, as compared with bovine and porcine pericardium, especially in traumatized valve leaflets.
