Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2020 Jun 30. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Nocardia is a ubiquitous pathogen associated with life-threatening opportunistic infections. Organ transplant recipients are uniquely predisposed to Nocardia infections due to their iatrogenic cell-mediated immune deficit necessary to maintain allograft function. This review aims to address recent updates in the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostics, treatment, and outcomes of Nocardia infections in solid-organ transplant recipients. Read More

Acute Med 2019 ;18(1):41-44

Consultant Physician (Endocrinology & Diabetes), Department of Medicine, Mater Infirmorum Hospital.

Nocardiosis, a rare infection occurring mostly in immunosuppressed patients can present with neurological complications including cerebral abscess formation, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We describe the case of a 54-year-old immunocompetent man with cerebral nocardiosis, who presented with sudden onset hemiparesis in an acute medicine unit. He required three craniotomies with excision, following failure to respond to antimicrobial therapy, with subsequent clinical improvement and radiological resolution of multiple cerebral abscesses. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2020 Jan-Dec;8:2324709620938228

Ocala Regional Medical Center, University of Central Florida, Ocala, FL, USA.

is the most common cause of cutaneous nocardiosis. is an emerging species responsible for invasive and disseminated disease in immunocompromised patients. We describe a case of a 67-year-old immunocompetent patient without significant past medical history diagnosed with primary cutaneous nocardiosis with as the causative organism. Read More

Microorganisms 2020 Jun 15;8(6). Epub 2020 Jun 15.

Reference and Research Laboratory for Taxonomy, National Centre of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain.

species, one of the most predominant Actinobacteria of the soil microbiota, cause infection in humans following traumatic inoculation or inhalation. The identification, typing, phylogenetic relationship and antimicrobial susceptibilities of 38 soil strains from Lara State, Venezuela, were studied by 16S rRNA and (subunit B of topoisomerase II) genes, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and microdilution. The results were compared with those for human strains. Read More

Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin 2020 Jun 10. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Servicio de Hematología y Hemoterapia, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, España.

Respir Med Case Rep 2020 27;30:101101. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Pneumology, University Hospital of Leipzig, Germany.

Nocardiosis is a rare bacterial opportunistic infection that most commonly manifests as lung disease. However, disseminated infection and abscess formation can occur. Due to diverse radiographic findings and difficult cultivation it is not an easy diagnosis to make. Read More

Cureus 2020 May 7;12(5):e8007. Epub 2020 May 7.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Medical Centre, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, CHN.

Objective: Nocardiosis is a rare opportunistic infection caused by the Nocardia species. Nocardia bacteremia is a life-threatening presentation of disseminated nocardiosis that presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. We performed this retrospective analysis in a Chinese hospital from 2010 to 2019 to describe the characteristics of this rare bloodstream infection. Read More

Clin Dermatol 2020 Mar - Apr;38(2):152-159. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Sector of Dermatology, University Hospital and School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Nocardiosis is caused by Gram-positive aerobic bacilli of the Nocardia genus, which are saprophytes living in the soil. It is a rare and opportunist disease with a localized or disseminated infection. When occurring in patients who are immunocompromised, involvement is usually systemic, most commonly represented by pulmonary disease. Read More

J Family Med Prim Care 2020 Mar 26;9(3):1407-1412. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.

Respiratory tract infections are the most common diseases that are associated with social burden for the patient. Western Rajasthan has cases of Cystic fibrosis due to migrant population. The dry and dusty environment has led to prevalence of silicosis and COPD. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2020 May 26:e13341. Epub 2020 May 26.

Department of Nephrology, Arterial Hypertension, Dialysis and Transplantation, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the incidence, etiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of renal transplant recipients diagnosed and treated for central nervous system (CNS) infection at our institution.

Methods: We analyzed data from all renal transplant recipients between January 2007 and December 2019 that were diagnosed and treated for CNS infections at our institution.

Results: Of 1374 patients who received renal allografts, 13 were diagnosed with CNS infections (9 males), with a mean age of 53. Read More

Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol 2020 Jun 16:1-16. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno" (CEMIC) , Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Introduction: Acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) are among the most frequent infectious diseases. Recently, several new antibiotics with activity against MRSA have been approved. Tedizolid, a second-generation oxazolidinone approved for ABSSSI offers theoretical advantages over first-generation oxazolidinones. Read More

J Appl Lab Med 2020 Mar;5(2):394-400

Department Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.

Int J Pept Res Ther 2020 21;26(2):1165-1176. Epub 2019 Aug 21.

1Department of Zoology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, 721 102 West Bengal India.

is the main causative agent responsible for nocardiosis disease in immunocompromised patient viz. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), malignancy, diabetic, organ recipient and genetic disorders. The virulence factor and outer membrane protein pertains immense contribution towards the designing of epitopic vaccine and limiting the robust outbreak of diseases. Read More

Ann Burns Fire Disasters 2019 Dec;32(4):289-293

Vall d'Hebrón University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.

Skin nocardiosis is an uncommon form of cutaneous infection caused by Nocardia. More than 100 different species have been isolated and they mainly inhabit soil and water. Cutaneous affection can be divided into primary and secondary forms. Read More

Med Princ Pract 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Nocardiosis is a well-read but neglected tropical disease. It has varied geographical presence and a spectrum of clinical presentations. This review aims to concentrate on national and international epidemiology of nocardial infections with a systematic approach to their diagnosis and treatment. Read More

Med Mycol Case Rep 2020 Jun 4;28:42-45. Epub 2020 May 4.

Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy.

Fungal infections are rare in the general population but are an emerging cause of disease in immunosuppressed patients, especially solid organ transplant recipients. Here, we report the case of a female Caucasian liver transplant patient who developed pulmonary nocardiosis two months after an episode of liver rejection. At the time of lung nocardiosis, she was being treated with tacrolimus and corticosteroids and suffered from diffuse papular skin lesions. Read More

Infect Disord Drug Targets 2020 May 16. Epub 2020 May 16.

Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. India.

Background: Nocardia species are important cause of infections in humans but are underreported due to missed diagnosis as well as misdiagnosis. Majority of the literature on these infections consists of case reports or series with few articles describing high number of cases.

Objective: To study the epidemiology of Nocardia infections in a tertiary care center. Read More

Bosn J Basic Med Sci 2020 May 5. Epub 2020 May 5.

Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shengli Oil Field Central Hospital, Dongying, China.

Nocardia is a pathogen responsible for a variety of clinical infections. Here, we aimed to investigate the species distribution, clinical manifestations, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Nocardia species in two tertiary general hospitals over 3 years in China. In this retrospective study, a total of 27 Nocardia species were isolated from 27 individuals between January 2017 and December 2019. Read More

Transplantation 2020 May 11. Epub 2020 May 11.

Section of Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplant, and Mechanical Circulatory Support, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.

Background: Heart transplantation is a life-saving procedure that has seen improvements in transplant and patient outcomes due to advances in immunosuppression and prevention of posttransplantation infectious episodes (IEps). This study systematically evaluates IEps in the modern era of heart transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective review that includes 279 consecutive adult heart transplantation recipients from January 2008 to September 2017. Read More

Medicine (Abingdon) 2020 May 8. Epub 2020 May 8.

is a Consultant in respiratory medicine at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. His specialist interest is in respiratory infections and bronchiectasis in immunocompromised hosts, particularly immunodeficiency secondary to cancer and biological therapy. Competing interests: none declared.

Opportunistic infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in severely immunocompromised patients, such as those given chemotherapy or biological therapies, and those with haematological malignancy, aplastic anaemia or HIV infection, or recipients of solid organ or stem cell transplants. The type and degree of immune defect dictates the profile of potential opportunistic pathogens; T-cell-mediated defects increase the risk of viral (cytomegalovirus, respiratory viruses) and infections, whereas neutrophil defects are associated with bacterial pneumonia and invasive aspergillosis. However, patients often have combinations of immune defects, and a wide range of other opportunistic infections can cause pneumonia. Read More

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020 May;70(5):2981-2987

Department of Dermatology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650101, PR China.

A novel nocardioform strain, CICC 11023, was isolated from a tissue biopsy of neck lesions of a patient with primary cutaneous nocardiosis and characterized to establish its taxonomic position. The morphological, biochemical, physiological and chemotaxonomic properties of strain CICC 11023 were consistent with classification in the genus . Whole-cell hydrolysates were rich in meso-diaminopimelic acid, galactose, arabinose and fructose. Read More

IDCases 2020 9;20:e00755. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Department of Internal Medicine, Mito Kyodo General Hospital, University of Tsukuba, Japan.

We report the case of a 71-year-old Japanese man with a history of chronic kidney disease and sarcoidosis receiving chronic corticosteroids who presented with disseminated infection. He initially showed improvement with empiric antimicrobial therapy including trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. However, he deteriorated after modifying the empiric regimen due to complicated hyperkalemia and ultimately died. Read More

IDCases 2020 15;20:e00766. Epub 2020 Apr 15.

Department of Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342005 India.

Pulmonary Nocardiosis and invasive Aspergillosis are well documented in immunocompromised patients. The coexistence of both infections is a diagnostic rarity, especially in patients with underlying structural lung diseases. We describe this rare association in a 46-year-old female with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis and COPD. Read More

Respirology 2020 May 3. Epub 2020 May 3.

Department of Radiology, CHU Rennes, Univ Rennes, Rennes, France.

PAP is an ultra-rare disease in which surfactant components, that impair gas exchange, accumulate in the alveolae. There are three types of PAP. The most frequent form, primary PAP, includes autoimmune PAP which accounts for over 90% of all PAP, defined by the presence of circulating anti-GM-CSF antibodies. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 04 30;14(4):e0008053. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

The Mycetoma Research Centre, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.

Mycetoma is one of the badly neglected tropical diseases, characterised by subcutaneous painless swelling, multiple sinuses, and discharge containing aggregates of the infecting organism known as grains. Risk factors conferring susceptibility to mycetoma include environmental factors and pathogen factors such as virulence and the infecting dose, in addition to host factors such as immunological and genetic predisposition. Epidemiological evidence suggests that host genetic factors may regulate susceptibility to mycetoma and other fungal infections, but they are likely to be complex genetic traits in which multiple genes interact with each other and environmental factors, as well as the pathogen, to cause disease. Read More

Pol Merkur Lekarski 2020 Apr;48(284):108-111

Medical University of Warsaw, Poland: Department of Transplantation Medicine, Nephrology and Internal Medicine.

Solid organ transplant recipients are specific group due to taken immunosuppressive agents. This can result in side effects including infections caused by rare opportunistic pathogens.

A Case Report: A 64-year old woman after orthotopic liver transplantation due to primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune hepatitis was admitted to hospital because of several infections. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 04 29;14(4):e0008240. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Department of Pathology, School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Mycetoma is considered a neglected tropical disease globally. However, data on its burden and the associated complications in Uganda are limited. Hence we aimed to estimate its burden in Uganda. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2020 Apr 21. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

National Trauma Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Department of Neurosurgery, Level 1, Old Baker Building, The Alfred Hospital, 55 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia. Electronic address:

Intracranial peripherally enhancing lesions in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant recipients represent a unique diagnostic and management dilemma due to the vast array of differentials that demand consideration. Diagnosis of the underlying pathology is often guided by the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We present the first published case series of three cardiac transplant recipients with significantly atypical neuroradiological findings contrary to the tenets of contemporary literature. Read More

Case Rep Infect Dis 2020 9;2020:6874625. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.

Nocardiosis is a rare bacterial infection that may lead to a severe disease. These infections are rare among normal population and are showing an increasing trend worldwide attributable to the increase in the immunosuppressed population. Most of these patients present with nonspecific clinical features such as fever, productive cough, and exertional dyspnoea as seen in our series of patients which makes it difficult to be diagnosed. Read More

Drug Discov Ther 2020 May 21;14(2):93-97. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

The management of patients with brain abscess poses a significant challenge to clinicians in patients with chronic kidney disease. Obtaining a biopsy sample from the affected area is the mainstay in the diagnosis, but it is often unavailable. In most cases, therapy is guided by clinical findings and imaging alone. Read More

J Family Med Prim Care 2020 Feb 28;9(2):1232-1235. Epub 2020 Feb 28.

Department of Medical Microbiology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.

Human nocardiosis is primarily an opportunistic infection affecting immunocompromised patients, however, one-third of them are immunocompetent. CNS involvement is less commonly reported and associated with a grave prognosis. The majority of these patients are organ transplant recipients on immune suppressants. Read More

J Clin Immunol 2020 May 20;40(4):619-624. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Dr., Rm. 6-3754, MSC 1763, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1456, USA.

Purpose: Haploidentical related donor (HRD) transplantation was performed in 7 recipients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) who had no matched-related or unrelated donor.

Methods: Peripheral blood cell (PBC) products were used with a conditioning regimen consisting of low-dose cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, total body irradiation, and busulfan. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of high-dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide and sirolimus. Read More

J Med Microbiol 2020 May 20;69(5):728-738. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Department of Ocular Microbiology, Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, India.

spp. can cause several ocular infections, such as keratitis, endophthalmitis and scleral abscesses. Molecular identification of spp. Read More

An Bras Dermatol 2020 May - Jun;95(3):372-375. Epub 2020 Mar 19.

Clinic of Dermatology, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:

Pseudomycetoma is an extremely rare deep mycosis, caused by dermatophytic fungi that penetrate the tissue from infected follicles of tinea capitis. Both clinically and histopathology are similar to eumycetoma, being distinguished through the isolation of the fungus, which in the case of pseudomycetoma can be Microsporum spp. or Trichophyton spp. Read More

Open Forum Infect Dis 2020 Apr 16;7(4):ofaa090. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, NT, Australia.

Background: Tropical Australia has a high incidence of nocardiosis, with high rates of intrinsic antimicrobial resistance. Linezolid, the only antimicrobial to which all local species are susceptible, has been recommended in empirical combination treatment regimens for moderate-severe infections at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) since 2014. We report the safety and efficacy of linezolid use for nocardiosis in this setting. Read More

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2020 Apr 6. Epub 2020 Apr 6.

Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

The main purpose of our study was to evaluate multiplex PCR assay targeting novel genes for detection of five fungal and bacterial agents in BAL samples; because many fungi and bacteria that cause respiratory infections have similar clinical symptoms, diagnosing and differentiating them are therefore essential to controlling and treating them. A total of 100 BAL specimens from a mycobacterium and mycology laboratory were collected from patients suspected of having TB or other respiratory diseases. Novel DNA targets for Aspergillus, Nocardia, Cryptococcus, and Streptomyces were found using modified comparative genomic analysis. Read More

PLoS One 2020 3;15(4):e0230746. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center, Saitama, Japan.

Background: The incidence and etiologies of chronic pulmonary infection (CPI) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have been poorly investigated.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 659 patients with IPF to assess the incidence, etiologies, and risk factors of CPI development. CPI was defined if the etiology of infection was diagnosed one or more months after the onset of symptoms or upon the appearance of new shadows on pulmonary radiological images. Read More

Vaccines (Basel) 2020 Mar 28;8(2). Epub 2020 Mar 28.

Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Shuefu Road, Neipu, Pingtung 91201, Taiwan.

DNA vaccines have been widely employed in controlling viral and bacterial infections in mammals and teleost fish. Co-injection of molecular adjuvants, including chemokines, cytokines, and immune co-stimulatory molecules, is one of the potential strategies used to improve DNA vaccine efficacy. In mammals and teleost fish, interleukin-34 (IL-34) had been described as a multifunctional cytokine and its immunological role had been confirmed; however, the adjuvant capacity of IL-34 remains to be elucidated. Read More

Biomedica 2020 03 1;40(1):27-33. Epub 2020 Mar 1.

Área de Radiología e Imágenes Diagnósticas, Hospital Universitario Mayor - Méderi, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia.

The infection by Nocardia spp is not common in immunocompetent patients. The empirical antimicrobial treatment directed by anatomical regions does not contemplate the particularities of the germ and the microbiological analysis is necessary for the specific treatment. We present the case of a previously healthy and immunocompetent patient, without known risk factors for Nocardia spp. Read More

J Fish Dis 2020 May 20;43(5):571-581. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen Public Service Platform for Evaluation of Marine Economic Animal Seedings, Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, China.

Nocardia seriolae, a Gram-positive bacterium, is the main pathogen of fish nocardiosis. Protein NlpC/P60 is a cell-wall peptidase and a potential virulence factor of N. seriolae. Read More

Indian J Tuberc 2020 01 18;67(1):130-132. Epub 2019 Apr 18.

Department of Radiology, Sahara Hospital, Viraj Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, UP, 226010, India.

J Am Chem Soc 2020 Apr 20;142(13):5952-5957. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

Several strains associated with nocardiosis, a potentially life-threatening disease, house a nonamodular assembly line polyketide synthase (PKS) that presumably synthesizes an unknown polyketide. Here, we report the discovery and structure elucidation of the NOCAP (nocardiosis-associated polyketide) aglycone by first fully reconstituting the NOCAP synthase from purified protein components followed by heterologous expression in and spectroscopic analysis of the purified products. The NOCAP aglycone has an unprecedented structure comprised of a substituted resorcylaldehyde headgroup linked to a 15-carbon tail that harbors two conjugated all- trienes separated by a stereogenic hydroxyl group. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Mar;99(11):e18804

Emergency Department of Daping Hospital.

Introduction: Isolated metacarpal tuberculosis is rare in orthopedic surgery. In the case of poor efficacy of traditional treatment methods, such as debridement surgery and anti-tuberculosis treatment, it is necessary to consider whether there is a special type of infection. We describe a case of metacarpal tuberculosis with Nocardia infection in a patient. Read More

Ethiop J Health Sci 2020 Mar;30(2):293-300

Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.

Background: nocardiosis is an opportunistic infectious disease in immunocompromised patients. The most common form of nocardiosis infection in humans is pulmonary nocrdiosis caused by inhaling Nocardia species from the environment. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the pulmonary nocardiosis in patients with suspected tuberculosis using systematic review and meta-analysis. Read More

Dermatol Online J 2020 Jan 15;26(1). Epub 2020 Jan 15.

Department of Dermatology, University General Hospital of Patras.

Acremonium is a large fungal genus that is comprised of approximately 150 species, found ubiquitously in nature. Although the majority are recognized as being saprophytes in soil and pathogens of plants, several species are emerging as causative agents of a variety of human infections, including mycetomas. Herein, we present a young man that was referred to our department with a painful subungual mass that developed following traumatic inoculation of Acremonium spp. Read More

IDCases 2020 29;20:e00737. Epub 2020 Feb 29.

Department of General Internal Medicine, Asahi General Hospital, 1326 I, Asahi, Chiba, Japan.

The genus usually infect immunocompromised patients. Pulmonary nocardiosis is the most common -induced infection while central nervous system (CNS) is the most common extrapulmonary site to develop nocardial disease. Approximately 54 % cases of previously reported nocardial brain abscesses were solitary lesions, while 38 % cases had multiple lesions; but miliary-like ring enhancing lesions have not been reported previously. Read More

IDCases 2020 28;20:e00734. Epub 2020 Feb 28.

Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, United States.

is a recently described anaerobic and partially acid-fast bacterium within the order . It is a fastidious microorganism that has been identified as part of the oral microbiota and is rarely associated with human infections. We describe the case of a 70-year-old man with a history of rheumatoid arthritis that developed liver abscesses and pylephlebitis. Read More

J Infect Dev Ctries 2020 Feb 29;14(2):214-222. Epub 2020 Feb 29.

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, India.

Introduction: Nocardia otitidiscaviarum is a rare cause of human infections, mostly causing cutaneous and lymphocutaneous infections of mild severity. We report two cases of fatal pulmonary infection caused by Nocardia otitidiscaviarum in elderly patients.

Methodology: Case 1: A 70-year old woman presented with fever and cough with expectoration for a month. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2020 Mar 5. Epub 2020 Mar 5.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.

Background: We recently mitigated a clonal outbreak of hospital-acquired Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC), which included a large cluster of adult patients who developed invasive infection after exposure to heater-cooler units during cardiac surgery. Recent studies have detailed Mycobacterium chimaera infections acquired during cardiac surgery; however, little is known about the epidemiology and clinical courses of cardiac surgery patients with invasive MABC infection.

Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical data on all patients who underwent cardiac surgery at our hospital and subsequently had positive cultures for MABC from 2013-2016. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020 18;10:13. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

In this original study, we retrospectively reviewed the cases of nocardiosis diagnosed through culture and next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods between 2014 and 2018 in Huashan Hospital and found out that the latter way can not only improve the detection rate of spp. but also greatly reduce the turnaround time. In addition, by comparing nocardiosis and non-nocardiosis patients both of whose samples had spp. Read More