Disseminated Nocardia farcinica Infection in a Patient with Steroid-dependent Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia: Case Report and Literature Review

摘要

Nocardia species are catalase-positive, Gram-positive rods with branching, filamentous, delicate hyphae. Certain Nocardia species are also weakly acid fast when stained by the modified Kinyoun stain. Many cases of disseminated nocardiosis with different treatment regimens have been reported, but few patients have had successful outcomes. We describe a 64-year-old female with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) who was steroid dependent and on cyclosporine immunosuppressive therapy. Nocardia farcinica was recovered from the patient’s bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimen and several blood cultures. Unfortunately, she succumbed after developing a pulmonary hemorrhage secondary to hospital-associated pneumonia.