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Case Reports
. 2022 Feb 2;4(2):000308.
doi: 10.1099/acmi.0.000308. eCollection 2022.

Unusual presentation of Nocardia abscessus infection in an immunocompetent patient

Akshay Khatri  1 , Michael J Esposito  2 , Robin Koshy  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Unusual presentation of Nocardia abscessus infection in an immunocompetent patient

Akshay Khatri et al. Access Microbiol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Nocardia infections are being increasingly reported in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. We describe a case of Nocardia abscessus infection with an atypical presentation in an immunocompetent patient.

Case presentation: A previously healthy 47-year-old gentleman presented with hiccups and paroxysmal spasms. Imaging revealed a pulmonary nodule, for which he underwent surgical resection. Pathologic evaluation demonstrated evidence of local inflammation, with growth of Nocardia abscessus on tissue cultures.

Conclusion: Nocardia abscessus may have atypical presentations in immunocompetent patients. Further research is needed to understand the factors leading to Nocardia infections in immunocompetent patients.

Keywords: Nocardia abscessus; immunocompetent; pulmonary.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Haematoxylin and eosin-stained cross-section of the resected lesion (100× magnification) showing a diffuse background of suppurative non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation (blue arrows).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Haematoxylin and eosin-stained cross-section of the resected lesion (400× magnification), showing epithelioid histiocytes (red arrow), giant cells (yellow arrow) and microabscess formation (green arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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