DISSEMINATED AND CEREBRAL INFECTION DUE TO NOCARDIA-FARCINICA - DIAGNOSIS BY BLOOD CULTURE AND CURE WITH ANTIBIOTICS ALONE

Systemic infections with Nocardia species continue to be a serious thr eat to immunosuppressed hosts. Diagnosis of these infections can be di fficult despite their known tendency for cerebral and subcutaneous inv olvement. We describe a patient who presented with nonspecific constit utional symptoms and was found to have subcutaneous and cerebral absce sses due to Nocardia farcinica. In addition, a blood culture yielded t he organism. The patient responded remarkably to oral therapy; resolut ion of the cerebral disease was observed on serial magnetic resonance images. We discuss the important clinical features of N. farcinica inf ection, the rarity of positive blood cultures, and the importance of s usceptibility testing of Nocardia species in selecting drug therapy.