Nocardia asteroides aortitis with perforation of the aorta

A 53-year-old man died of nocardial aortitis eight months after undergoing aortic valve replacement. Autopsy revealed vegetation in the area of a previous aortotomy incision and a small perforation of the aorta enclosed by pericardium immediately above the prosthetic valve ring. Prosthetic valve endocarditis was not present. Multiple splenic infarcts, microabscesses of both kidneys, and myocarditis were identified. Antemortem blood cultures and postmortem cultures of the aortic vegetation grew Nocardia asteroides.