Korean J Clin Microbiol.  2008 Oct;11(2):136-140. 10.5145/KJCM.2008.11.2.136.

A Strain of Nocardia cyriacigeorgica Isolated from a Patient with Pulmonary Infection

• Oh HR
• Kim YS
• Jang SJ
• Li XM
• Kim WY
• Park G
• Moon DS
• Park YJ

• KMID: 1480983
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2008.11.2.136

Abstract

Nocardia cyriacigeorgica is an aerobic gram-positive rod that has mostly been reported as an opportunistic pathogen. Since molecular methodologies were introduced to identify species, infections caused by N. cyriacigeorgica have been reported. The patient was a 51-year-old woman with aplastic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, and disseminated tuberculosis, who was admitted to Chosun University Hospital with a history of fever and productive cough. During her hospitalization, sputum cultures were taken and a bacterium suspicious of acitinomycetes grew five times. It was a gram-positive rod that was also partially acid-fast on modified Kinyoun stain and resistant to lysozyme. After 24 h of incubation, cultures of the sputum onto sheep's blood agar plates (BAP) demonstrated rough, chalky, and white colonies with a characteristic earthy odor. Based on the above results, the presumptive identification of Nocardia species was made. To identify species of this isolate, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis was taken and showed 99.9% homology to N. cyriacigeorgica DSM44484(T). The results of biochemical tests were compatible with other reports of N. cyriacigeorgica. As a result, this isolate was identified as N. cyriacigeorgica. Herein, we present a first report of N. cyriacigeorgica isolated from a patient with pulmonary infection in Korea.

Keyword

Nocardia cyriacigeorgica; Respiratory tract infections; 16S rRNA

MeSH Terms

Agar
Anemia, Aplastic
Cough
European Continental Ancestry Group
Female
Fever
Genes, rRNA
Hospitalization
Humans
Korea
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Middle Aged
Muramidase
Nocardia
Odors
Respiratory Tract Infections
Sequence Analysis
Sprains and Strains
Sputum
Tuberculosis
Agar
Muramidase

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Macroscopic and microscopic features of strain 3617–1 (this case). (A) Growth of strain 3617–1 at 24 h on sheep's blood agar plates (BAP). (B) Growth of strain 3617–1 at day 3 on sheep's BAP. (C) Gram stain of strain 3617–1 after growth for 24 h (original magnification, ×1,000). (D) Modified Kinyoun stain of strain 3617–1 after growth for 24 h (original magnification, ×1,000).

Reference

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