Pneumonia caused by nocardia asteroids

Objective To improve the clinical understanding of the pulmonary nocardia infection.Methods One case of pneumonia caused by nocardia asteroids was reported and analyzed combining with the clinical data reported in domestic articles.Results Pneumonia caused by nocardia asteroids was often found in the farmer,who had history of contacting with soil.The patient was often immunosuppressed and clinically manifested with fever,cough,hemoptysis,accelerated breathing,etc.Pneumonia,pulmonary abscess,pulmonary cavity and pleural effusion could be seen in chest radiograph.Sulfanilamide was the first choice for treatment.Conclusion Attention should be paid to the possibility of pulmonary nocardia infection for the patient who has unknown origin of fever,cough,accelerated breathing and hemoptysis,especially when he is immunosuppressed and takes hormone over a long period of time. Key words: Nocardia; Pneumonia