First case of Nocardia nova spinal abscess in an immunocompetent patient

Hong, Seung Bok; Han, Kyudong; Son, Bo Ra; Shin, Kyeong Seob; Rim, Byeong Cheol

doi:10.1016/S1413-8670(12)70306-9

The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases

ISSN: 1413-8670

The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases is the official publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases (SBI). It aims to publish relevant articles in the broadest sense on all aspects of microbiology, infectious diseases and immune response to infectious agents.
The BJID is a bimonthly publication and one of the most influential journals in its field in Brazil and Latin America with a high impact factor. Since its inception it has garnered a growing share of the publishing market.

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Nocardia are a group of aerobic actinomycetes that are filamentous gram-positive, weakly acid-fast, and cause opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients. Primary Nocardia infection mostly involves lung, skin and less commonly, the central nervous system (CNS). Among Nocardia CNS infections, spinal infection is extremely rare. We describe the first case of a spinal abscess caused by Nocardia nova in an immunocompetent patient who experienced a penetrating facial injury six months earlier. Nocardia species were isolated from intradural spinal abscesses and identified by 16S rRNA, hsp65 and secA1 sequence analyses. Surgical excision and treatment with amikacin, cefotaxime, and oral erythromycin was successful.

Keywords:

Nocardia

Abscess

Spine

RNA, ribosomal, 16S

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