to renal failure. In order to minimize the delay in diagnosis, clinicians need to always be mindful of the possibility that endocarditis may be the cause of the symptoms. There have been ongoing efforts in the development of molecular probes and new imaging techniques to improve our ability to identify the disease early and reliably. New treatment strategies have been studied with the aim to prevent complications and to improve survival. The structure of the previous edition is preserved. The book is divided into three sections with the first section covering the historical perspective and basic principles, the second section dealing with the diagnosis and management approaches and the last section on specific clinical situations that pose management dilemmas. All the chapters will be updated to include new information from the recent studies. In particular, the approach to the use of antibiotic prophylaxis will be extensively revised to present and discuss the implications of the current guidelines from different national societies including the American Heart Association and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. This update is timely and should be of interest to all clinicians involved in the care of patients with this serious disease. This new edition will be a good resource for internists, infectious disease specialists, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons alike .