Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Bronchiectasis ; Mycobacterium avium Complex ; Syndrome ; Nocardia Infections/drug therapy* ; Nocardia ; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection

Adult ; Alternaria ; immunology ; Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic ; immunology ; Animals ; Antibodies ; immunology ; Antibodies, Bacterial ; immunology ; Antibodies, Fungal ; immunology ; Antigens ; immunology ; Antigens, Bacterial ; immunology ; Antigens, Fungal ; immunology ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; immunology ; Asymptomatic Diseases ; Candida albicans ; immunology ; Cladosporium ; immunology ; Columbidae ; immunology ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; immunology ; Male ; Melopsittacus ; immunology ; Middle Aged ; Mucor ; immunology ; Nocardia ; immunology ; Parrots ; immunology ; Penicillium chrysogenum ; immunology ; Stachybotrys ; immunology ; Thermoactinomyces ; immunology

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Nocardia Infections ; Transplantation, Homologous

No abstract available.
Nocardia Infections* ; Nocardia*

Pulmonary nocardiosis is a rare opportunistic infection that commonly affects immunocompromised hosts, such as patients with organ transplants, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or prolonged immunosuppression. Recently, we encountered a case of pulmonary nocardiosis with empyema that progressed to severe sepsis. The patient was treated in the intensive care unit. Thereafter, medical thoracoscopy was performed to improve drainage of the pleural fluid. Nocardia was identified in the culture of the pleural fluid.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Drainage ; Empyema* ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunosuppression ; Intensive Care Units ; Nocardia Infections ; Nocardia* ; Opportunistic Infections ; Sepsis* ; Thoracoscopy ; Transplants

We describe a cutaneous abscess caused by Nocardia abscessus in a previously healthy woman. A 74-year-old woman presented with recurrent bullae on her left forearm that developed 1 week prior and was initially suspected to be a cutaneous infection with Mycobacteria or Tinea corporis. Histopathologically, the skin lesion formed an abscess. A smear revealed a few branched Gram-positive filamentous microorganisms that formed a creamy white colony on a blood agar plate after incubation for 3 days. The colony tested negative on acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining, but was positive on modified AFB staining. The isolate was confirmed to be N. abscessus by 16S rRNA sequencing analysis. The isolate was susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, amikacin, cefotaxime and erythromycin but resistant to penicillin. The patient was treated with clarithromycin but subsequently lost to follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a human cutaneous infection with N. abscessus in Korea.
Abscess* ; Agar ; Aged ; Amikacin ; Cefotaxime ; Clarithromycin ; Erythromycin ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Korea ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Nocardia* ; Penicillins ; Skin ; Tinea ; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Nocardia species are aerobic, gram-positive, filamentous, partially acid-fast actinomycetes which are found worldwide in soil and decaying organic plant matter. When they infect human beings, they generally enter through the respiratory tract and then disseminate systemically. Rarely has a primary infection occurred as the result of direct inoculation. Isolation of Nocardia from clinical specimens and identification of species are difficult. But, with the introduction of new genetic technologies, reports of novel species of Nocardia have increased. We describe a case of cutaneous nocardiosis caused by Nocardia takedensis in an 87-year-old woman who was diagnosed by bacterial culture and 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. N. takedensis has been described as a new species. This report describes the first clinical isolate of N. takedensis from a skin specimen in Korea.
Actinobacteria ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Nocardia Infections* ; Nocardia* ; Plants ; Respiratory System ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Skin ; Soil

No abstract available.
Brain Abscess* ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Nocardia*

Nocardiosis is a rare but potentially life-threatening infectious disease caused by several species of the genus Nocardia (N.), which are aerobic, filamentous, gram-positive bacilli. A definitive diagnosis depends on the isolation and identification of Nocardia species. But identification from clinical specimens may involve performing invasive techniques on the patient and lengthy process (take up to 1 or 3 weeks) owing to slow growth, and require a professional microbiologist. Currently the genus Nocardia is best identified using 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Recently matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has launched a new era in the routine microbiology laboratory. This method has proved its efficacy for the identification and diagnosis of microorganism. MALDI-TOF MS has potential for use as a rapid (within 1 hour) and dependable method for the identification of Nocardia species with reproducibility and cost effectiveness. We report a 76-year-old woman who suffered from ulcer with papules on her right wrist and forearm. A biopsy of the skin showed granulomatous inflammation with central suppuration. A bacterial isolate from the skin was identified to be N. brasiliensis on comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of nocardiosis in Korea caused by N. brasiliensis identified on MALDI-TOF MS.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Communicable Diseases ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Forearm ; Genes, rRNA ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Mass Spectrometry* ; Methods ; Nocardia ; Nocardia Infections* ; Sequence Analysis ; Skin ; Suppuration ; Ulcer ; Wrist

The Nocardia species are aerobic Gram-positive filamentous bacteria found worldwide in soil and decaying organic plant matter. Primary cutaneous nocardiosis is a rare entity and most commonly caused by Nocardia brasiliensis (N. brasiliensis). However, it can rarely be caused by N. farcinica, which is recognized as a human pathogen. Here we report a case of a 54-year-old female patient who presented with erythematous nodules on her abdomen for 1 week. She had been treated with methotrexate and prednisolone due to systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. By bacterial culture and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, the patient was diagnosed with a primary cutaneous nocardiosis caused by N. farcinica, which has not previously been reported in the Korean dermatological literature.
Abdomen ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Bacteria ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Methotrexate ; Middle Aged ; Nocardia Infections* ; Nocardia* ; Plants ; Prednisolone ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Soil