title: Nocardiosis: risk factors, clinical characteristics and outcome.
abstract: Nocardiosis has been reported increasingly in recent two decades, probably due to improvement in isolation of the organism and increased burden of immune compromised patients. Nocardia occasionally has been reported in healthy people. A case series of definitive Nocardiosis (2002 to 2010), clinical characteristics, underlying diseases, immune status and in-patient outcome were studied in a tertiary referral center. Twenty one patients with definite diagnosis of Nocardiosis were studied. 17 cases (81%) had an underlying disease (diabetes mellitus, corticosteroid therapy, and chronic granulomatous disease and collagen vascular diseases). Four patients (19%) were immune-competent without any predisposing disease. In 17 patients (81%), Nocardiosis was limited to respiratory tract and in 4 cases (19%) it was disseminated with multi organ involvement. Two cases (9.5%) died in hospital.
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Ilad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Alavi Darazam
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shamaei
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mandana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mobarhan
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Shahin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghasemi
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Payam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tabarsi
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Motavasseli
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Davood
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mansouri
keywords: Cutaneous; Immunocompromised Host; Nocardia Infections; Nocardiosis; Treatment Outcome