Abstract:

Objective To investigate the clinical features,diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous nocardiosis. Methods One case of nocardiosis with special skin manifestations is reported with literature review. Results Of the 22 patients,14 were healthy and 8 had underlying diseases with a history of glucocorticoids or immunosuppressants. Common clinical manifestations include abscess,ulcer,lump with fever,fatigue or other systemic symptoms. Infection pathway are 3 cases of trauma,3 cases from lung,2 cases of iatrogenic injection,and 14 cases of unknown infection. All 22 patients were diagnosed by tissue culture. Treatment strategies are single sulfonamides,or combination with other drugs,or combination with surgical incision and drainage. Conclusion Cutaneous nocardiosis is commonly seen in the immune functioned with untypical clinical manifestations. A clear infection route cannot be found,and iatrogenic injection is also one of the ways of infection. The pathogenic bacteria culture was the main diagnostic method,and the treatment was treated with sulfonamides or combined surgical incision drainage.

Key words: cutaneous nocardiosis, review, diagnosis