Nocardia asteroidesの分離とその感染例について

抄録

N. asteroides was recovered from 8 patients during recent two-year period. In two patients who had been transplanted the kidneys, this microorganism was confirmed to be the pathogen causing the lesions of the lung and the chest wall. The both patients recovered by the treatment of minocycline with surgical drainage. On the other hand, the organism isolated was considered to be transient colonization in the other two patients. In the remaining 4 patients, N. asteroides isolated was suspected to be pathogenic. A patient with AML had N. asteroides repeatedly in her sputa, and the organism was eliminated rapidly by the treatment of minocycline, but she was superinfected by the other bacteria. Repeated isolations and reappearring of N. asteroides after discontinuation of the therapy were observed in a patient with bronchiectasis, but it never became manifested. The 2 patients having abnormal findings of chest roentogenogram had isolation of the organisms only once, but the follow up was failed.
The colonies of N. asteroides mostly became recognizable within 3 days after inoculation of the specimens onto blood agar plates. Minimal inhibitory concentration of minocycline to the organisms isolated was in the range between 0.05 to 0.8μg per ml.
Erythromycin, ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfomethoxazole had higher MIC compared with minocycline. The Japanese literatures describing 14 cases of N. asteroides infection since 1969 were reviewed.