Infective endocarditis is an infection of the endocardial surface of the heart including infections of the large thoracic vessels and intracardiac foreign bodies characterized by the presence of vegetation which is a nidus for microorganism invasion.
Native valve endocarditis is an endovascular microbial infection of native heart valves that may be local including valvular and perivalvular destruction or distal due to detachment of septic vegetations with embolism, metastatic infection and septicemia.
Prosthetic valve endocarditis is an endovascular microbial infection of prosthetic heart valves and may be classified as an infection likely to have been acquired perioperatively and thus being nosocomial or likely to have been community-acquired.