Korean J Clin Pathol.  2002 Apr;22(2):101-104.

A Case of Nocardia asteroides Isolated from Subcutaneous Abscess in a Pneumonic Patient with a Rejected Transplant Kidney

• Kwon EH
• Lee NY
• Song KE
• Suh JS
• Lee WK

Abstract

Opportunistic infections are common after a renal transplant as a result of immunosuppression. Nocardiosis is a rare but important cause of morbidity and mortality among renal transplant recipi-ents. Nocardiosis is a localized or disseminated infection, which is usually introduced through the respiratory tract resulting in pneumonia, and may develop a disseminated infection, in particular a subcutaneous abscess and/or central nervous system infection. Because effective therapy for these nocardiosis is available, an accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial. However, nocardiosis is an infrequent disease and many physicians are unfamiliar to it. In addition, in the laboratory, cul-tures may be discarded too early, which often delays an early diagnosis and treatment. The authors isolated Nocardia asteroides from an abscess of the skin in a rejected renal allograft patient suffering pneumonia. The patient was successfully treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxa-zole.

Keyword

Nocardia asteroides; Renal transplant; Skin abscess; Pneumonia

MeSH Terms

Abscess*
Allografts
Central Nervous System Infections
Diagnosis
Early Diagnosis
Humans
Immunosuppression
Kidney*
Mortality
Nocardia asteroides*
Nocardia Infections
Nocardia*
Opportunistic Infections
Pneumonia
Respiratory System
Skin