Community-acquired lower respiratory tract infection with Nocardia asteroides in a 93-year-old woman

Background. - Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) by Nocardia species is most often considered as an opportunistic infection occurring mainly in middle-aged adults. Case report. - A 93-year old woman without any significant comorbidity othe r than a mild asthma, presenting with a non-resolving pneumonia, was succes sfully treated for a community-acquired LRTI by Nocardia asteroides. Discussion. - LRTI by Nocardia asteroides is a rare occurence. Although mor e frequent in immuno-compromised patients (50 to 85% of cases reported), No cardia asteroides infection also occurs in immuno-competent individuals. Ve ry few reports describe LRT1 infection by Nocardia sp. in the very old, and almost exclusively in patients with major co-morbidities or variable degre es of immuno-suppression.