CASE SERIES OF ISOLATED PULMONARY NOCARDIOSIS AMONG POST-COVID-19 INDIVIDUALS

Abstract

Nocardia infections are rare in an immunocompetent and healthy individual. It is frequently diagnosed and reported very late during the disease. Here we present an interesting case series of isolated pulmonary nocardiosis among post COVID-19 patients. A 45-year-old male presented to general medicine OPD with breathlessness and cough with expectoration. The patient was a known case of diabetes. A Sputum sample was sent for culture, gram, and acid-fast stain, and the nasopharyngeal swab was sent for RT-PCR and turned out to be COVID-19 negative. Gram stain showed numerous pus cells with filamentous hyphae-like structures. Nocardiosis was strongly considered based on imaging morphology. A 65-year-old female presented to OPD with fever, respiratory distress, and expectorating cough for one month. The patient was a not known case of diabetes and hypertension. The patient was diagnosed with pneumonia and had a history of COVID-19. The microscopic examination of the sputum sample revealed no fungal elements. The Gram and Ziehl-Neelsen stain showed pus cells with filamentous bacilli and no acid-fast bacilli. A 50-year-old male presented to general medicine OPD with breathlessness and expectorating cough for four weeks. The patient was a not known case of diabetes and hypertension. The sputum sample was negative for ZN stain; the Gram stain showed numerous pus cells with filamentous hyphae-like structures. The modified acid-fast staining was done for sputum and BAL samples in all cases showed filamentous weak acid-fast bacilli resembling Nocardia species. The patient did well with cotrimoxazole and was discharged later. The differential diagnosis of nocardia should always be in mind in case of lung infections. All respiratory samples must also be screened for Nocardia. The early diagnosis and management of pulmonary nocardiosis decide the patient’s prognosis.