Lymphocutaneous Nocardia brasiliensis Infection Acquired from a Cat Scratch: Case Report and Review

Nocardia brasiliensis is a bacterium that is most commonly found in the soil. Traumatic inoculation of N. brasiliensis into the skin is the most typical mode of acquisition of infection due to this organism. To the best of my knowledge, I report the first case of lymphocutaneous N. brasiliensis dise...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical infectious diseases 1992-10, Vol.15 (4), p.710-711
Main Author: Sachs, M K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Animals
Cat scratch fever
Cats
Cats - microbiology
Disease transmission
Disease Vectors
Female
Humans
Infections
Infectious diseases
Inoculation
Lesions
Lymphadenitis - drug therapy
Lymphadenitis - microbiology
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Nocardia
Nocardia - drug effects
Nocardia - isolation & purification
Nocardia Infections - drug therapy
Nocardia Infections - transmission
Penicillin
Penicillins - therapeutic use
Skin
Skin Diseases, Bacterial - drug therapy
Skin Diseases, Bacterial - transmission
Wound Infection - drug therapy
Wound Infection - microbiology
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nocardia brasiliensis is a bacterium that is most commonly found in the soil. Traumatic inoculation of N. brasiliensis into the skin is the most typical mode of acquisition of infection due to this organism. To the best of my knowledge, I report the first case of lymphocutaneous N. brasiliensis disease from a penetrating cat scratch of the skin, thereby establishing cats as vehicles for the transmission of this infection. Treatment with penicillin produced a rapid resolution of all signs and symptoms of infection. The efficacy of penicillin against the N. brasiliensis isolate recovered from this patient was highly unusual. In general, penicillin has limited therapeutic value since these organisms elaborate β-lactamase. Sulfonamides remain the drugs of choice for the treatment of these infections. These soil-borne organisms are most likely carried on the claws of cats and may establish infection after percutaneous inoculation. A high index of suspicion for N. brasiliensis soft-tissue infection is required since a delayed or missed diagnosis may be associated with progressive local disease and/or widespread disseminated infection.
ISSN:1058-4838
1537-6591
DOI:10.1093/clind/15.4.710