Abstract
Backgournd: Nocardia bacteremia is rare, and the risk factors and outcomes for episodes of bacteremia compared with nonbacteremic cases are unknown. Methods: We performed a retrospective, multicenter study comparing patients with Nocardia infection with and without bacteremia from an 11-year period. Patients without blood cultures performed within 48 hours of the diagnosis of Nocardia infection were excluded. Results: We identified 23 patients including seven (30%) with bacteremia. The patients with and without bacteremia were similar in terms of underlying conditions except that those with bacteremia were more frequently receiving trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis (42.9% vs. 6.3%, P = 0.03). The patients with bacteremia had a higher mortality rate at 6 months (71% vs. 21%, P = 0.02). The presence of an intravascular device was not higher among those with Nocardia bacteremia (57.1% vs. 31.3%, P = 0.24). Conclusions: Nocardiosis with Nocardia bacteremia carries the risk of higher mortality and should still be considered even when patients are receiving trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 307-309 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Bacteremia
- Mortality
- Nocardia
- Risk factors