Retrospective analysis of nocardiosis in a general hospital from 1998 to 2017.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the epidemiological, clinical, microbiological, and therapeutic characteristics of Nocardiosis patients treated in a general hospital.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Monocentric retrospective analysis of patients presenting with Nocardia-positive biological sample from January 1, 1998 to May 1, 2017.

RESULTS

We identified nine cases of Nocardia infections. Risk factors were oral corticosteroid therapy (n=3), solid cancer (n=2), hematological cancer (n=1), COPD (n=1). No risk factor was identified in patients with isolated cutaneous presentation (n=2). Disseminated presentations (n=3) were observed in patients receiving corticosteroid therapy (n=2) and presenting with ENT cancer (n=1). Identified Nocardia species were Nocardia nova (n=4), Nocardia cyriacigeorgica (n=2), Nocardia abscessus (n=1), Nocardia brasiliensis (n=1), and Nocardia asteroides (n=1). The median diagnostic time was 17 days. Antibiotic therapy was prolonged and included trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in 6/9 cases. The overall one-year case fatality was high (3/8). No recurrence was observed. We identified two cases of respiratory colonization with N. abscessus and N. cyriacigeorgica in COPD patients.

CONCLUSION

Nocardiosis can occur both in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. It is a severe infection, with a miscellaneous clinical spectrum and complex treatments. Greater knowledge of nocardiosis is required from physicians for optimal medical care.