Disseminated nocardiosis involving the central nervous system in the context of newly diagnosed HIV infection: A case report

Abstract

Background: A newly diagnosed HIV patient with tuberculosis-like symptoms was confirmed with disseminated nocardiosis involving the central nervous system (CNS). This case report provides novel insights into the diagnosis and treatment of nocardiosis. Case presentation: A 44-year-old male newly diagnosed HIV patient presented on March 20, 2017, with the major symptoms of fever and headache. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed a mass in the lower lobe of the right lung. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multiple abnormal signals and ring enhancement. Blood culture suggested the presence of mycobacteria and positive acid-fast staining, and the strain was identified as Nocardia. He was administered an anti-infective therapeutic regimen consisting of cefotaxime sodium and sulbactam sodium (2.25 g, qid, iv), linezolid (0.6 g, bid, iv), moxifloxacin (0.4 g, qd, iv), sulfamethoxazole (1.44 g, qid, per os), and amikacin (0.4 g, qd, iv). After treatment, fever and skin nodules resolved, and reexamination by chest CT and brain MRI suggested improvement compared with the pretreatment situation. Conclusions: At present, there are few reports of disseminated Nocardia infection involving the CNS in HIV patients in China. This case report will help to enhance the understanding of disseminated Nocardia infection. In the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment, Nocardia may be initially misdiagnosed as disseminated TB. In the present case, tuberculosis-like symptoms actually corresponded to disseminated nocardiosis involving the CNS.