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An unusual case of Nocardia cyriacigeorgica presenting with spinal abscesses in a renal transplant recipient and a review of the literature
Author(s) -
Freiberg Jeffrey A.,
Saharia Kapil K.,
Morales Megan K.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
transplant infectious disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1399-3062
pISSN - 1398-2273
DOI - 10.1111/tid.13025
Subject(s) - medicine , nocardia , renal transplant , transplantation , kidney transplantation , abscess , nocardiosis , surgery , pathology , bacteria , genetics , biology
Nocardia species represent a well‐recognized yet uncommon cause of opportunistic infections in humans. It most frequently presents as a pulmonary infection with or without central nervous system involvement. It is a very rare cause of spinal abscesses, with only 26 cases reported in the literature. Here we report a 49‐year‐old man with a history of renal transplantation who presented with low back pain and was diagnosed with epidural and paraspinal abscesses due to Nocardia cyriacigeorgica that was successfully treated with antimicrobial therapy alone. In addition to the case reported here, we also conducted a systematic review of the existing literature regarding spinal abscesses due to Nocardia species and examined the success of the various treatments utilized.