DISSEMINATED NOCARDIA-TRANSVALENSIS INFECTION RESEMBLING PULMONARY INFARCTION IN A LIVER-TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT

Infections due to Nocardia transvalensis are extremely rare: only four disseminated infections with this pathogen have been reported, three of which ended fatally. This is the first report of a liver transplant recipient with Nocardia transvalensis infection. The patient had diss eminated infection with pulmonary involvement, which presented as pulm onary infarction. Despite a ten-day delay in the administration of cor rect therapy, he responded rapidly to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. T he pitfalls of differentiating nocardial infection from pulmonary thro mboembolism in solid organ transplant recipients and the diagnostic co nsiderations unique to liver transplant recipients are discussed.