Cureus· 2015· Review
Human Nocardia Infections: A Review of Pulmonary Nocardiosis
- 95citations
- 2015year
Short summary
Pulmonary nocardiosis, caused by Nocardia spp., is difficult to diagnose due to non-specific symptoms and its resemblance to other respiratory pathogens like tuberculosis, with laboratory diagnosis further hampered by prolonged culture incubation times.
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Key points
- Nocardia spp. cause superficial, pulmonary, and disseminated infections, often in immunosuppressed individuals.
- Pulmonary nocardiosis mimics other respiratory diseases, making clinical diagnosis difficult.
- Laboratory diagnosis is hindered by the prolonged incubation required for Nocardia culture.
- Limited clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological data obscure the true incidence and significance of human nocardiosis.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Human nocardiosis may present as an acute or a chronic infection. Although a saprophyte Nocardia spp are responsible for superficial skin infections, pulmonary infections, and disseminated nocardiosis usually involving patients who are immunosuppressed and debilitated. Infections in immunocompetent individuals are usually chronic and present non-specific symptoms. Invasive and disseminated nocardiosis is common among patients with weakened cellular immune systems. Clinical diagnosis of pulmonary nocardiosis is difficult owing to the similarity of its presentation with other respiratory pathogens that include Actinomycetes members and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Laboratory diagnosis of human nocardiosis is plagued by the fact that a culture of Nocardia spp requires prolonged incubation periods for isolation which most laboratories fail to follow. The lack of clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological data on the incidence of nocardiosis in humans undermines its significance as a potential pathogen. This review attempts to reexamine the pathogenic potential of Nocardia in human infections.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cureus, 2015 · DOI ↗
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Field: Microbiology
MicrobiologyMedicine