First Case of Nocardia wallacei From India: A Case Report and Literature Review.

is a type of bacteria that can cause infections in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. It is an obligate aerobe and is commonly found in the environment. Pulmonary nocardiosis may present as pneumonia, endobronchial inflammatory masses, lung abscess, and cavitary disease with contiguous extension, leading to effusion and empyema. We present a case of pulmonary nocardiosis in a 75-year-old male patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The patient presented with bilateral pneumonia and hypoxia with an oxygen saturation of 85%. Sputum samples were sent to the microbiology laboratory for testing. Acid-fast staining with 1% HSO showed acid-fast branching filamentous rods, but could not be isolated in culture. The sample was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing, which identified the pathogen as . The culture of the sputum did not grow any pathogenic organisms, and the blood culture was sterile. Unfortunately, the patient left the hospital against medical advice as he was advised for intubation. The patient could not survive and died the next day after leaving the hospital.  can be fatal and cause disseminated infection in both immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients. Only eight case reports of have been reported in the literature from various parts of the world. Our case is the first case report of  from India.