Medicine· 2013Q2
Nocardiosis of the Central Nervous System
- 181citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2013year
Short summary
Central nervous system (CNS) nocardiosis, a rare bacterial infection, can affect both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals, often linked to corticosteroid use or organ transplantation.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- CNS nocardiosis affects both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients.
- Corticosteroid use (54%) and organ transplantation (25%) are common predisposing factors.
- Diagnosis is often delayed due to variable symptoms and imperfect tests.
- Combination therapy of TMP-SMX for over 6 months plus neurosurgery shows lower mortality and relapse.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) nocardiosis is a rare disease entity caused by the filamentous bacteria Nocardia species. We present a case series of 5 patients from our hospital and a review of the cases of CNS nocardiosis reported in the literature from January 2000 to December 2011. Our results indicate that CNS nocardiosis can occur in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals and can be the result of prior pulmonary infection or can exist on its own. The most common predisposing factors are corticosteroid use (54% of patients) and organ transplantation (25%). Presentation of the disease is widely variable, and available diagnostic tests are far from perfect, often leading to delayed detection and initiation of treatment. The optimal therapeutic approach is still undetermined and depends on speciation, but lower mortality and relapse rates have been reported with a combination of targeted antimicrobial treatment including trimethoprim/sulfomethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for more than 6 months and neurosurgical intervention.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Medicine, 2013 · DOI ↗
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Field: Microbiology
MicrobiologyMedicine