Challenges in treatment of disseminated nocardiosis in an elderly patient with renal failure on corticosteroids: a case report

We report the case of a 71-year-old Japanese man with a history of chronic kidney disease and sarcoidosis receiving chronic corticosteroids who presented with disseminated Nocardia brasiliensis infection. He initially showed improvement with empiric antimicrobial therapy including trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. However, he deteriorated after modifying the empiric regimen due to complicated hyperkalemia and ultimately died. In general, elderly patients have decreased renal function. Standard therapy for nocardiosis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole may not be used for a prolonged period of time. This case emphasizes the challenges and importance of prudent selection of empiric antimicrobial therapy for disseminated nocardiosis in elderly patients with underlying kidney disease.