nocardiosis /nōkär′dē·ō″sis/ [Edmund I.E. Nocard; Gk, osis, condition] , infection with Nocardia species, most often N. asteroides, an aerobic gram-positive species of actinomycetes. It can cause pneumonia, often with cavitation, and chronic abscesses in the brain and subcutaneous tissues, and it can cause cutaneous disease through wounds contaminated with soil. The organism enters via the respiratory tract and spreads by the bloodstream, especially in those who are immunocompromised because of such conditions as HIV infection, organ transplantation, and Cushing’s syndrome. Surgical drainage of abscesses and sulfonamide therapy for 12 to 18 months cures between 50% and 60% of the cases treated. Combination antibiotic therapy may be required.
