Linezolid for the Treatment of Nocardia spp. Infections

Objective:To review the available evidence regarding the use of linezolid for the treatment of Nocardia spp. infections.Data Sources:Data were identified through a search of MEDLINE (1966-May 2007), American Search Premier (1975-May 2007), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1960-2007), Science Citation Index Expanded (1996-2007), and Cochrane Databases (publications archived until May 2007) using the terms linezolid and Nocardia.Study Selection and Data Extraction:Prospective and retrospective studies, case reports, case series, and in vitro studies were eligible for inclusion if they used linezolid for nocardiosis regardless of site of infection and outcome.Data Synthesis:We identified 11 published cases of linezolid use for Nocardia spp. infections. The predominant species isolated were N. asteroides (n=4; 36%) and N. farcinica (n= 3; 27%). Nocardiosis with central nervous system involvement (n= 7; 64%) or disseminated disease (n= 4; 36%) were most common. The main reason for discontinuation of pre...