Korean J Dermatol.  2016 Mar;54(3):194-198.

Primary Cutaneous Nocardiosis Caused by Nocardia farcinica

• Choi HS
• Shin JM
• Moon SH
• Kim JE
• Ro YS
• Ko JY

Abstract

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.

Keyword

Primary cutaneous nocardiosis; Nocardia farcinica

MeSH Terms

Abdomen
Arthritis, Rheumatoid
Bacteria
Female
Humans
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Methotrexate
Middle Aged
Nocardia Infections*
Nocardia*
Plants
Prednisolone
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Soil
Methotrexate
Prednisolone
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Soil