title: Reactive cutaneous cytophagocytosis in nocardiosis.
abstract: Cutaneous nocardiosis, which usually manifests in the form of pustules, abscesses, or subcutaneous nodules, is occasionally found in immunocompromised patients. A 59-yr-old Korean man with myasthenia gravis and thymoma developed nodular skin lesions on his trunk. Histopathologically, abscess formation with a dense infiltrate of neutrophils and many cytophagic histiocytes were observed. Numerous filamentous organisms, which turned out to be Nocardia asteroides by culture, were also found. After sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim therapy, all of the skin lesions rapidly decreased in size, with a marked diminution of the number of cytophagic histiocytes, and cleared up within four months. On reporting a case of cutaneous nocardiosis showing unusual histopathologic findings, we considered that reactive conditions should be included in the differential diagnosis of the cutaneous cytophagocytosis, and that nocardiosis could be one of the diseases showing reactive cytophagocytosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Chinju, Korea.
authors.forename: Chi-Yeon
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae-Heung
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Won-Sup
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ai-Young
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006644:Histiocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*; D009617:Nocardia Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009616:Nocardia asteroides / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000276:immunology*; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination