Primary cutaneous nocardiosis.

A 37-year-old patient with systemic lupus erythematosus, who had been treated with oral corticosteroids for 10 years, developed primary cutaneous nocardiosis. Brown-violaceous, suppurative nodules and plaques arose on her right leg. Cultures of multiple biopsies on blood agar medium grew Nocardia. The patient received 500 mg of imipenem three times a day which resulted in complete regression of the lesions within two months. No relapse was observed 6 months later.