Computed tomography diagnosis of pulmonary nocardiosis: A case report of a rare disease

Abstract

Nocardiosis, which is caused by the Nocardia bacterium, is an acute, subacute, or chronic purulent infection that mostly affects the lungs. The vast majority of these infections occur in people with impaired immune function. These infections are characterized by multiple areas of inflammation in both lungs. The initial examination of choice is chest computed tomography (CT), which can play an important role in early diagnosis and evaluation of the treatment's effectiveness. Since the disease is rare and lacks specific clinical manifestations, it is easily misdiagnosed or missed altogether, often resulting in poor patient outcomes, including death. Therefore, early diagnosis and evaluation of the effects of treatment by chest CT are essential to controlling disease progression and improving the prognosis.