[Pulmonary infection with Nocardia species: a report of 10 cases].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical features of pulmonary nocardiosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed ten consecutive patients (5 men, 5 women; aged 25 to 80 years (average 49.3 years)) with confirmed bacteriological pulmonary nocardiosis from 1998 to 2003. Patients were divided into two groups: infected (8 patients) and isolated (2 patients). RESULTS All patients had predisposing factors and/or pulmonary disease. Six were immunosuppressed by steroid therapy with or without other immunosuppressive drugs. The overall survival rate among infected patients was 75.0% (6/8), but the survival rate of patients who were diagnosed speedily by a gram-stain procedure was 85.7% (6/7). CONCLUSIONS Although pulmonary nocardiosis is difficult to diagnose, prompt use of the gram-staining procedure and appropriate treatment appeared to improve survival. And new diagnostic method is desirable.