Pulmonary nocardiosis associated with nephrotic syndrome]

A 70-year-old man treated for 6 months with prednisolone for nephrotic syndrome, was referred to our pulmonary division because of a nodule in the right lower lung field. Nocardia asteroides was isolated from the culture of the percutaneous lung aspiration, and the case was diagnosed as pulmonary nocardiosis. The lesion disappeared after 2 months of therapy with sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (1,600 mg/320 mg once a day). Though it had been given prophylactically (800 mg/160 mg twice a week) for the prevention of pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis.