John Libbey Eurotext




Primary cutaneous nocardiosis in an immune-competent patient
European Journal of Dermatology. Volume 11, Number 6, 569-71, November - December 2001, Cas cliniques
Free Article
Author(s) : W. J. Z'GRAGGEN, T. BREGENZER, H. FANKHAUSER, A. ARNOUX, H. LAENG, P. H. ITIN
Summary : We present a patient who was hospitalized due to a purulent skin lesion with a surrounding erythematous area in the region of the right paranasal crease accompanied by a swelling of the right eyelid. Initially the diagnosis of a carbuncle caused by an infection with Staphylococcus aureus was supposed. A surgical debridement was performed and an antibiotic therapy was started. Only special microbial investigations requested by the clinician led to the diagnosis of a cutaneous infection with Nocardia brasiliensis. The presented case is remarkable because the nocardia infection was in an immune-competent patient and the patient showed a primary cutaneous nocardiosis without dissemination.
Keywords : carbuncle, differential diagnosis, immune-competent, Nocardia brasiliensis, primary cutaneous nocardiosis, sequencing of the 16S-rDNA.

Primary cutaneous nocardiosis in an immune-competent patient