Nocardiosis in Renal Transplantation: Case Series from India

Nocardiosis is a rare opportunistic infection seen in kidney transplant patients and is caused by aerobic actinomycete. Disease manifestations can vary from a localized infection to multisystem organ failure. In this retrospective case series, we present 16 cases of Nocardiosis. The median age of the patients was 44 years. The median time from transplant to nocardiosis was 21 months. Acute rejection episodes and CMV infection within 6 months of nocardiosis were found in 12.5% and 25%, respectively. The most common organ involvement was the lungs (75%), followed by the brain (12.5%). Only one patient showed cutaneous involvement (6.25%). Mean creatinine at presentation was 0.7 mg/dL (mean eGFR: 92 ± 27 mL/min/1.73 m²). Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance was found in 25% of patients. Five patients (31.25%) succumbed to the infection. Nocardiosis has a very low incidence but a high rate of mortality.