ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical features, chest radiological manifestations, microbiological examination and treatments of nocardial disease.

MethodsA retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data of patients with nocardial infection admitted to Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from January 2010 to January 2016.

ResultsThe 13 patients, 6 males and 7 females, aged (51±17) years. Twelve cases were diagnosed with pulmonary nocardiosis, and 1 with disseminated nocardial infection. Most of these patients had complications: autoimmune diseases in 3 (2 with autoimmune hemolytic anemia and 1 with systemic lupus erythematosus), and bronchiectasis in 6 patients. The most common symptoms were cough, expectoration and fever. The main manifestations of CT scans included nodules or masses, bronchiectasis, ground glass opacity, cavity and pleural thickening. Six cases were confirmed by sputum smear microscopy, 4 by bronchoalveolar lavage, 2 by percutaneous lung biopsy and 1 by renal abscess puncture. After diagnosis, antibiotics such as Co-trimoxazole, amikacin, cephalosporins, imipenem, minomycin, or linezolid were used, and the 13 patients were all cured and discharged.

ConclusionsPulmonary nocardiosis was the most common clinical presentation of nocardial infection. Cough, expectoration and fever were the most common symptoms. The main findings of CT scans were nodules or masses, bronchiectasis, ground glass opacity, cavity and pleural thickening. The diagnosis of nocardiosis was not easy because of the non-specific clinical presentations and difficult culture of nocardia spp. Thus, high clinical suspicion of nocardiosis is necessary for earlier diagnosis and treatment.