MOLECULAR STUDY OF PERSISTENCE OF NOCARDIA-ASTEROIDES AND NOCARDIA-OTITIDISCAVIARUM STRAINS IN PATIENTS WITH LONG-TERM NOCARDIOSIS

Three Nocardia asteroides and five Nocardia otitidiscaviarum isolates recovered from three patients with longterm nocardiosis were compared by random amplification of polymorphic DNA fingerprinting, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and enzymatic characterization. Results obtain ed with primer DKU49 (P. Palittapongarnpim, S. Chomyc, A. Fanning, and D. Kunimoto, J. Infect. Dis. 167:975-978, 1993) provide evidence that patient A was infected by two N. asteroides strains during a single e pisode of nocardiosis and that patients B and C remained infected by t he same strain, respectively. Resistance to minocycline that was prese nt in the first isolate recovered from patient B reverted to intermedi ate resistance in the second isolate and reverted to susceptibility in the third isolate. Resistance to penicillin G and beta-lactams was ac quired by the second isolate obtained from patient C.