Disseminated nocardiosis due to Nocardia farcinica: diagnosis by thyroid abscess culture.
A previously healthy 75-year-old white male dentist presented with a 6-month history of low-back pain treated with chronic steroid therapy had a Nocardia farcinica infection diagnosed by aspirate of thyroid abscess and six blood cultures. Despite the treatment with parenteral combination of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, the patient failed to respond and died after two days of therapy. Autopsy revealed disseminated nocardiosis, involving lungs with pleural purulent exudate in both sides, heart, thyroid, kidneys, brain, bones, and lumbosacral soft tissue with destruction of L2-L4.
Severo
Cecília Bittencourt
CB
Laboratório de Micologia, Hospital Santa Rita, Santa Casa Complexo-Hospitalar, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. severo@santacasa.tche.br
Oliveira
Flávio de Mattos
Fde M
Cunha
Lenine
L
Cantarelli
Vlademir
V
Severo
Luiz Carlos
LC
D000038:Abscess / Q000382:microbiology*; D000368:Aged; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009615:Nocardia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009617:Nocardia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000382:microbiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination