Biomaterial Database

Primary nocardial meningitis in systemic lupus erythematosus. 1995

C C Mok, and C S Lau, and S P Poon

University Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.

Nocardia is an important but often overlooked opportunistic infection agent in immunocompromised hosts. Nocardiosis is primarily pulmonary; central nervous system involvement, usually in the form of brain abscess, is less common. Primary nocardial meningitis without associated brain abscess and pulmonary lesion is extremely rare and poses a formidable diagnostic challenge. We report on a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus who presented with a clinical picture of chronic meningitis which failed to respond to empirical antibiotic treatment. She deteriorated and succumbed. Post-mortem examination showed nocardial meningitis without associated brain abscesses. Nocardial meningitis should be considered a differential diagnosis of subacute meningitis in immunocompromised hosts.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008180	Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic	A chronic, relapsing, inflammatory, and often febrile multisystemic disorder of connective tissue, characterized principally by involvement of the skin, joints, kidneys, and serosal membranes. It is of unknown etiology, but is thought to represent a failure of the regulatory mechanisms of the autoimmune system. The disease is marked by a wide range of system dysfunctions, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and the formation of LE cells in the blood or bone marrow.	Libman-Sacks Disease,Lupus Erythematosus Disseminatus,Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,Disease, Libman-Sacks,Libman Sacks Disease
D009617	Nocardia Infections	Infections with bacteria of the genus NOCARDIA.	Cerebral Nocardiosis,Infections, Nocardia,Nocardia asteroides Infection,Nocardiosis,Primary Cutaneous Nocardiosis,Pulmonary Nocardiosis,Cerebral Nocardioses,Cutaneous Nocardioses, Primary,Cutaneous Nocardiosis, Primary,Infection, Nocardia,Infection, Nocardia asteroides,Infections, Nocardia asteroides,Nocardia Infection,Nocardia asteroides Infections,Nocardioses,Nocardioses, Cerebral,Nocardioses, Primary Cutaneous,Nocardioses, Pulmonary,Nocardiosis, Cerebral,Nocardiosis, Primary Cutaneous,Nocardiosis, Pulmonary,Primary Cutaneous Nocardioses,Pulmonary Nocardioses
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D016867	Immunocompromised Host	A human or animal whose immunologic mechanism is deficient because of an immunodeficiency disorder or other disease or as the result of the administration of immunosuppressive drugs or radiation.	Immunosuppressed Host,Immunocompromised Patient,Host, Immunocompromised,Host, Immunosuppressed,Hosts, Immunocompromised,Hosts, Immunosuppressed,Immunocompromised Hosts,Immunocompromised Patients,Immunosuppressed Hosts,Patient, Immunocompromised,Patients, Immunocompromised
D016920	Meningitis, Bacterial	Bacterial infections of the leptomeninges and subarachnoid space, frequently involving the cerebral cortex, cranial nerves, cerebral blood vessels, spinal cord, and nerve roots.	Bacterial Meningitis,Bacterial Meningitides,Meningitides, Bacterial