title: Pulmonary nocardiosis in southern Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nocardiosis mainly affects immunocompromised patients. The objectives of this study were to better understand the epidemiologic, demographic, clinical, and laboratory information in patients with pulmonary nocardiosis in southern Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analyzing patients aged ≥18 years with culture-proven pulmonary nocardiosis received treatment at KCGMH between January 2004 and June 2010. Nocardiae were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Patients with pulmonary nocardiosis caused by the mostly commonly encountered Nocardia sp. were compared with those with pulmonary nocardiosis due to other Nocardia spp.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 20 patients included, cough (80%) and fever (50%) were the 2 leading symptoms/signs, while lobar consolidation (50%) and pleural effusion (40%) were the most frequent radiographic manifestations. Eighteen patients (90%) had at least one underlying disease/condition. Nocardia cyriacigeorgica was most commonly found. Compared with those whose pathogens were other Nocardia spp., patients with pulmonary nocardiosis caused by N cyriacigeorgica experienced higher clinical severity as measured by APACHE II score (19.8 ± 7.0 vs. 12.8 ± 6.7; p = 0.04) and ICU admission rate (100% vs. 25%; p < 0.01). Thirteen patients (65%) turned out to be fatal. The severity (APACHE II score, 18 ± 6 vs. 10 ± 8; p = 0.02) and the proportion of acute and subacute pulmonary nocardiosis (76% vs. 0%, p = 0.03) between fatal and survived patients differed significantly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N cyriacigeorgica was the most common pathogen in southern Taiwan. Higher mortality rate in patients with pulmonary nocardiosis was related to disease severity and acute and subacute infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Hsiang
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsai-Ling
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Che
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: 88b0@adm.cgmh.org.tw.
authors.forename: Jien-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009615:Nocardia / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009617:Nocardia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology