Hypogammaglobulinemia and Nocardia brain abscesses.
The host defense responses to Nocardia asteroides are not known. We have investigated a patient with common variable adult onset hypogammaglobulinemia who developed fatal disseminated nocardiosis. The patient had low levels of serum immunoglobulins; the total lymphocyte count was normal as were the percentages of circulating T and B cells. Transmission electron microscopic studies demonstrated typical N. asteroides within the brain parenchyma and nonspecific inflammatory changes in the central nervous system. The findings suggest that humoral immunity may play a major role in the host defense of patients with this disease.
D000038:Abscess / Q000150:complications; D000328:Adult; D000361:Agammaglobulinemia / Q000150:complications*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001922:Brain Abscess / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009617:Nocardia Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology