Nocardia asteroides pneumonia, subcutaneous abscess and meningitis in a patient with advanced malignant lymphoma: successful treatment based on in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility.

Abstract

Nocardia asteroides pneumonia, subcutaneous abscess and meningitis without brain abscesses developed in a patient with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, who had received corticosteroid therapy and cancer chemotherapy for a long time. At the time of nocardial pneumonia, profound lymphocytopenia and hypogammaglobulinemia was seen. The severely immunosuppressed condition most likely accounted for the uncommon infection, nocardiosis. The organism isolated from the sputum, subcutaneous abscess and cerebrospinal fluid was strongly resistant to cotrimoxazole, which is the recommended standard treatment, but it was susceptible to imipenem (IPM) and erythromycin (EM) in an in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility study. The patient's nocardiosis responded well to chemotherapy including IPM and EM.

• Authors: C Sakai, T Takagi, Y Satoh
• Journal: Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Intern Med) Vol. 38 Issue 8 Pg. 683-6 (Aug 1999) ISSN: 0918-2918 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 10440509 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Steroids
• Erythromycin
• Imipenem

Topics

• Abscess (drug therapy, etiology)
• Drug Therapy, Combination (therapeutic use)
• Erythromycin (therapeutic use)
• Fatal Outcome
• Humans
• Imipenem (therapeutic use)
• In Vitro Techniques
• Lymphoma, B-Cell (complications)
• Male
• Meningitis, Bacterial (drug therapy, etiology)
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests
• Middle Aged
• Nocardia Infections (drug therapy)
• Nocardia asteroides
• Pneumonia, Bacterial (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Steroids (adverse effects)