Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1983 Sep;18(3):702–708. doi: 10.1128/jcm.18.3.702-708.1983

Nocardia asteroides recovery from a dog with steroid- and antibiotic-unresponsive idiopathic polyarthritis.

A M Buchanan, B L Beaman, N C Pedersen, M Anderson, J L Scott
PMCID: PMC270878  PMID: 6355155

Abstract

This report describes a fatal case of idiopathic polyarthritis in a dog that was partially responsive to vigorous immunosuppressive treatment. Synovial fluids were cultured for L-forms at the following stages of disease: (i) acute arthritic relapse, (ii) incomplete remission, and (iii) death. Nocardia asteroides UCD 1-581 was recovered from the L-form broth culture of the specimen taken during acute relapse, 5 weeks after inoculation, but not at any other stage of disease. Numerous conventional microbiological cultures were unproductive during all phases. Changes occurring in L-form plates included the formation of large irregular mineral deposits and many transferable bodies resembling pseudocolonies. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of many intracellular golden-brown granules and acid-fast bodies in macrophages of the lung and bronchial lymph node tissues. The granules are believed to be the variants embedded in calcium deposits similar to those which developed in the L-form cultures in vitro. Fluorescence of these acid-fast bodies with antibody specific for superoxide dismutase of N. asteroides GUH-2 and labeled anti-immunoglobulin G established their relationship to the isolate. The unrelenting course of disease and the persistence of N. asteroides as an L-form in this animal despite vigorous immunosuppression suggest that this organism plays a direct role in the etiology of this disease.

Full text

PDF
702

Images in this article

705Image
on p.705
706Image
on p.706

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BARILE M. F., YAGUCHI R., EVELAND W. C. A simplified medium for the cultivation of pleuropneumonia-like organisms and the L-forms of bacteria. Am J Clin Pathol. 1958 Aug;30(2):171–176. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/30.2_ts.171. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BLAKE W. P. A report of two canine cases of nocardiosis in Missouri. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1954 Dec;125(933):467–468. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BOHL E. H., JONES D. O., FARRELL R. L., CHAMBERLAIN D. M., COLE C. R., FERGUSON L. C. Nocardosis in the dog; a case report. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1953 Feb;122(911):81–85. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Beaman B. L., Scates S. M., Moring S. E., Deem R., Misra H. P. Purification and properties of a unique superoxide dismutase from Nocardia asteroides. J Biol Chem. 1983 Jan 10;258(1):91–96. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Beaman B. L., Scates S. M. Role of L-forms of Nocardia caviae in the development of chronic mycetomas in normal and immunodeficient murine models. Infect Immun. 1981 Sep;33(3):893–907. doi: 10.1128/iai.33.3.893-907.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Beaman B. L. Structural and biochemical alterations of Nocardia asteroides cell walls during its growth cycle. J Bacteriol. 1975 Sep;123(3):1235–1253. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.3.1235-1253.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Buchanan A. M. Atypical colony-like structures developing in control media and in clinical L-form cultures containing serum. Vet Microbiol. 1982 Mar;7(1):1–18. doi: 10.1016/0378-1135(82)90002-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Buchanan A. M., Davis D. C., Pedersen N. C., Beaman B. L. Recovery of microorganisms from synovial and pleural fluids of animals using hyperosmolar media. Vet Microbiol. 1982 Mar;7(1):19–33. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Curry W. A. Human nocardiosis. A clinical review with selected case reports. Arch Intern Med. 1980 Jun;140(6):818–826. doi: 10.1001/archinte.140.6.818. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fernandes P. B., Panos C. Wall-less microbial isolate from a human renal biopsy. J Clin Microbiol. 1977 Jan;5(1):106–107. doi: 10.1128/jcm.5.1.106-107.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fridovich I. Superoxide dismutases. Annu Rev Biochem. 1975;44:147–159. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.44.070175.001051. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. JOHNSTON K. G. Systemic nocardiosis in the dog. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1956 Jan;71(1):7–14. doi: 10.1002/path.1700710103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lehninger A. L., Carafoli E., Rossi C. S. Energy-linked ion movements in mitochondrial systems. Adv Enzymol Relat Areas Mol Biol. 1967;29:259–320. doi: 10.1002/9780470122747.ch6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MOSS L. C. Nocardiosis (actinomycosis) in the dog; a report of six cases. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1956 Feb 1;128(3):143–148. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mishra S. K., Gordon R. E., Barnett D. A. Identification of nocardiae and streptomycetes of medical importance. J Clin Microbiol. 1980 Jun;11(6):728–736. doi: 10.1128/jcm.11.6.728-736.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mitten R. W. Vertebral osteomyelitis in the dog due to Nocardia-like organisms. J Small Anim Pract. 1974 Sep;15(9):563–570. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1974.tb06536.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nicholls D. G., Crompton M. Mitochondrial calcium transport. FEBS Lett. 1980 Mar 10;111(2):261–268. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(80)80806-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pedersen N. C., Pool R. Canine joint disease. Vet Clin North Am. 1978 Aug;8(3):465–493. doi: 10.1016/s0091-0279(78)50055-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pedersen N. C., Weisner K., Castles J. J., Ling G. V., Weiser G. Noninfectious canine arthritis: the inflammatory, nonerosive arthritides. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1976 Aug 1;169(3):304–310. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. RHOADES H. E., REYNOLDS H. A., Jr, RAHN D. P., SMALL E. Nocardiosis in a dog with multiple lesions of the central nervous system. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1963 Feb 1;142:278–281. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Staneck J. L., Roberts G. D. Simplified approach to identification of aerobic actinomycetes by thin-layer chromatography. Appl Microbiol. 1974 Aug;28(2):226–231. doi: 10.1128/am.28.2.226-231.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Swerczek T. W., Trautwein G., Nielsen S. W. Canine nocardiosis. Zentralbl Veterinarmed B. 1968 Dec;15(9):971–978. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. THORDAL-CHRISTENSEN A., CLIFFORD D. H. Actinomycosis (nocardiosis) in a dog with a brief review of this disease. Am J Vet Res. 1953 Apr;14(51):298–306. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Young L. S., Armstrong D., Blevins A., Lieberman P. Nocardia asteroides infection complicating neoplastic disease. Am J Med. 1971 Mar;50(3):356–367. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(71)90224-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES