Elevated serum β-d-glucan levels in cavitary pulmonary nocardiosis.
An 86-year-old woman with Borrmann type III colorectal cancer (Union for International Cancer Control pT4aN2bM1c, pStage IVc) had received dexamethasone for the last 6 months as palliative care. She presented with a low-grade fever, chest pain and cough. Chest radiography on admission showed cavities and consolidations bilaterally in the upper lobes. A blood examination on admission revealed highly elevated serum β-d-glucan levels. The diagnosis by bronchoscopy was pulmonary nocardiosis. With trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and imipenem/cilastatin, the β-d-glucan levels were decreased, and chest X-ray showed improvement after 1 month. β-d-glucan is known to be a biomarker of fungal infection. It is possible that β-d-glucan levels also indicate a pulmonary infection by Nocardia.
['Yagyu|Kyoko|K|', 'Nakatsuji|Yuko|Y|', 'Matsushita|Haruhiko|H|']
D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents D000970:Antineoplastic Agents D000077728:Cilastatin, Imipenem Drug Combination D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms D003907:Dexamethasone D005260:Female D006801:Humans D009617:Nocardia Infections D011509:Proteoglycans D016896:Treatment Outcome D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination D047071:beta-Glucans
infections pneumonia (infectious disease) pneumonia (respiratory medicine)