Humoral response in a patient with cutaneous nocardiosis

The clinical appearance of infection due to Nocardia spp. varies widely. Th e law sensitivity of direct microscopy and the slow growth of the organism challenge the laboratory diagnosis. We present the case of a skin abscess i n an immunocompetent man caused by Nocardia brasiliensis. Diagnosis was mad e by cultivation and 16S rRNA sequencing. Using indirect immunofluorescence and Western blot, a strong antibody response to the N. brasiliensis isolat e could be demonstrated. Serological tests might therefore be useful for th e diagnosis and management of nocardial infections, copyright (R) 2000 S. K arger AG, Basel.