Primary lymphocutaneous nocardiosis in an immunocompetent patient

Sofia Maraki¹ , Stavros Chochlidakis² , Eleni Nioti¹ and Yannis Tselentis¹

¹Department of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, University Hospital of Crete, 712 01 Heraklion, Crete, Greece

²Department of Orthopedics, University Hospital of Crete, 712 01 Heraklion, Crete, Greece

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Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials 2004, 3:24doi:10.1186/1476-0711-3-24


Published:	15 November 2004

Abstract

Background

Nocardia brasiliensis is a rare human pathogen usually associated with localized cutaneous infections.

Case Presentation

We report a case of primary lymphocutaneous Nocardia brasiliensis infection developed after a bone fracture of the left hand of an otherwise healthy 32-year-old man. Treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole given for a total of three months combined with surgical debridement resulted in complete resolution of the infection.

Conclusion

Nocardiosis should be part of the differential diagnosis in patients with sporotrichoid infection, particularly those with a history of outdoor injury. Culture of the affected tissue and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the isolate should be performed for diagnosis and treatment.