[Acute community acquired pneumopathy caused by Nocardia asteroides in a 93-year-old female patient].
BACKGROUND
Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) by Nocardia species is most often considered as an opportunistic infection occurring mainly in middle-aged adults.


METHODS
A 93-year old woman without any significant comorbidity other than a mild asthma, presenting with a non-resolving pneumonia, was successfully treated for a community-acquired LRTI by Nocardia asteroides.


CONCLUSIONS
LRTI by Nocardia asteroides is a rare occurrence. Although more frequent in immuno-compromised patients (50 to 85% of cases reported), Nocardia asteroides infection also occurs in immuno-competent individuals. Very few reports describe LRTI infection by Nocardia sp. in the very old, and almost exclusively in patients with major co-morbidities or variable degrees of immuno-suppression.
Laszlo
A
A
Département de Gériatrie, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Route de Mon-Idée, CH-1226 Thônex/Genève, Suisse. André.Laszlo@hcuge.ch
Lambert
V
V
Michel
J P
JP
Janssens
J P
JP
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009617:Nocardia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009616:Nocardia asteroides; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis*