Pulmonary nocardiosis in a patient with pemphigus foliaceus: case report and literature review

Abstract

Background: Nocardiosis is an uncommon opportunistic infection seen in immunocompromised patients or those with a dysfunctional immune system. Nocardia asteroides infection in patients with Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) has never been reported. Case presentation: We report an interesting case of nocardiosis-characterized by pulmonary intra-cavitary infection, in a 54-year-old man with PF and diabetes mellitus. The man finally recovered from the infection. Conclusions: This is the first case reporting pulmonary nocardiosis in a patient with PF. We recommend that physicians be aware of nocardiosis in patients with pemphigus as a possible cause of underlying infectious disease to avoid misdiagnoses and mismanagement.