Nocardial cerebral abscess: report of a case

Abstract

Cerebral nocardiosis is an uncommon disease which has not been previously reported in Taiwan. We describe a 70-years-old man who, known to have a history of rectal cancer, developed a cerebral nocardial abscess. The patient was admitted with a week history of gradual weakness of the left limbs. There was neither fever nor headache. Neurological examination disclosed left hemiparesis. Computed tomography of the brain revealed a decreased density in the right parietal region with a ring enhancement. Biopsy of the cerebral lesion showed Nocardia asteroides.