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Nocardial brain abscess in an immunocompetent host.
M Dias1, S Nagarathna, A Mahadevan
1Department of Microbiology, St. John's Medical College, Bangalore-560 034, Karnataka, India. soniamarydias@hotmail.com
Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology
|August 13, 2008
Summary
Nocardial brain abscesses are rare, often mimicking tumors. This case highlights successful surgical removal and antibiotic treatment for a frontal lobe Nocardia asteroides infection in an elderly patient.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Nocardial infection of the central nervous system (CNS) is uncommon.
- It typically presents as a brain abscess, often misdiagnosed as a neoplastic lesion.
Observation:
- An elderly male presented with symptoms and CT scan findings suggestive of an intracranial mass in the frontal lobe.
- Surgical exploration revealed a biloculated abscess.
Findings:
- Aspiration and analysis of the abscess contents identified Nocardia asteroides as the causative agent.
- The patient underwent complete surgical excision of the abscess and received extended antibiotic therapy.
Implications:
- This case underscores the importance of considering Nocardia infection in the differential diagnosis of intracranial mass lesions, especially in elderly patients.
- Prompt diagnosis and combined surgical and antibiotic treatment can lead to favorable outcomes in CNS nocardiosis.
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