Luu T, Khalid R, Rehman T, Clark NM. Disseminated Nocardia paucivorans Infection Resembling Metastatic Disease in a Kidney Transplant Recipient.
Cureus 2022;
14:e25365. [PMID:
35765399 PMCID:
PMC9233555 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.25365]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Recipients of solid-organ transplants (SOT) or hematopoietic stem-cell transplants are prone to various complications, including serious infections. Nocardiosis is an opportunistic bacterial infection that primarily affects the lung. It may also cause skin and soft-tissue infection, cerebral abscess, bloodstream infection, or infection involving other organs. We present a case of an immunocompromised kidney transplant recipient who experienced a prolonged history of unexplained indolent constitutional symptoms without a fever. Initial radiographic findings were suggestive of metastatic disease at multiple sites. However, metagenomic next-generation sequencing of microbial cell-free DNA in blood revealed disseminated Nocardia paucivorans infection, and organisms consistent with Nocardia were identified on histopathology of a lung biopsy. It is crucial for healthcare providers to be aware of unusual opportunistic infections to provide appropriate workups and interventions for immunocompromised SOT recipients.
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