Table 3. Characteristics of 27 previous studies of nocardiosis in Brazil from 1970 to 2013.
| City/State (Year)References | Nocardiosis disease (number of cases) | Underlying conditions or associated conditions of immunosuppression (number of cases) | Identification | Therapya | Outcome |
| Porto Alegre/RS (1978) [83] | Pulmonary (2) | Tobacco smoking (1); Neoplasic disease, corticotherapy (1) | N. asteroides; N. asteroids | SUF, CS; SUF | Cure (1); Death (1) |
| São Paulo/SP (1989) [84] | Cerebrospinal fluid (1) | HIV infection | Nocardia sp. | - | - |
| Salvador/BA (1990) [85] | Pulmonary (6) | Not identified | Nocardia sp. | - | - |
| Ribeirão Preto/SP [1993 (1968–1991)] [42] | Pulmonary (6); Disseminated (3) | Renal transplant, corticotherapy (9) | Nocardia sp. (3); N. asteroides (5); N. brasiliensis (1) | TMP+SMX (associations) | Death (7); Cure (2) |
| Santa Maria/RS (1993) [86] | Peritonitis (1) | Systemic lupus erythematous and failure renal, ambulatory peritoneal dialysis | N. asteroids | CET/TMP+SMX | Cure |
| São Paulo/SP (1995) [87] | Cerebelar abscessus and pulmonary (1) | HIV infection | N. asteroides | CTR | Death |
| São Paulo/SP (1995) [62] | Keratitis (1) | Myopic keratomileusis | N. asteroides | - | Visual debilitating sequelae |
| São Paulo/SP (1997) [88] | Disseminated (1) | Bone marrow transplant | Nocardia sp. | TMP+SMX | Cure |
| São Paulo/SP (1997) [89] | Pulmonary (1) | Alcoholism, tobacco smoking, COPDb | Nocardia sp. | TMP+SMX, CTR, CM | Death |
| Santa Maria/RS (1999) [80] | Disseminated (1) | HIV infection | N. pseudobrasiliensis | AMB/CM, AMK/IMP,TMP+SMX | Death |
| Uberaba/MG (2000) [90] | Brain abscessus and disseminated (1) | Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenic purpura (Evans Syndrome), corticotherapy | Nocardia sp. | CM, CFPM VAN/IMP, CIL, AMB/AZ, TMP+SMX | Cure |
| Niterói/RJ (2002) [91] | Pulmonary (1) | HIV infection, healed tuberculosis | Nocardia sp. | TMP+SMX | Death |
| Campinas/SP (2003) [63] | Scleritis (1) | None | N. asteroides | TMP+SMX and AMK eyedrops | Visual debilitating sequelae |
| São Paulo/SP (2004) [64] | Keratitis (1) | Implantation of intracorneal rings segments – IRS | Nocardia sp. | - | Cure; No remotion of IRS |
| Porto Alegre/RS (2005) [81] | Disseminated and thyroid abscessus (1) | Corticotherapy | N. farcinica | TMP+SMX | Death |
| São Paulo/SP (2006) [92] | Pulmonary (1)c | HIV infection | Nocardia sp. | AMB/TMP+SMX | Death |
| São Paulo/SP (2006) [93] | Pulmonary and cutaneous (1) | Bronchiolitis obliterans, corticotherapy | N. asteroids | TMP+SMX | Cure |
| Niterói/RJ (2007) [65] | Scleritis (1) | Keratoplasty and intraocular lens implantation | TMP+SMX, AMK eyedrops | ||
| Porto Alegre/RS (2007) [41] | Pulmonary (14) | COPD (3), systemic lupus erythematous (1), HIV infection (1), neoplasic disease (4), corticotherapy (10), radiotherapy (4), chemotherapy (6), liver transplant (1), kidney transplant (2), asthma (1), chronic bronchitis (1) | N. asteroides complex (4); N. asteroides (1); Nocardia sp.(9) | TMP+SMX | Cure (6); Death (8); |
| Pulmonary and cutaneous (1) | Not identified | Nocardia sp. (1) | TMP+SMX | Death (1); | |
| Disseminated (4) | COPD (1), diabetes (1), corticotherapy (3), neoplasic disease (1), chemotherapy (2), radiotherapy (1), liver transplant (1), not identified (1) | Nocardia sp. (4) | IMP+VAN/SUF+AMK/TMP+SMX | Death (2); Cure (2) | |
| São Paulo/SP (2007) [94] | Pulmonary (1) | Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, corticotherapy | N. farcinica | TMP+SMX | Death |
| Niterói/RJ (2008) [95] | Pulmonary (1) | COPD, bronchiectasis, corticotherapy | Nocardia sp. | AMK, IMP,CIL/TMP+SMX | Cure |
| Campo Grande/MS (2008) [96] | Pulmonary (1) | Not identified | Nocardia brasiliensis. | - | - |
| Niterói/RJ (2009) [97] | Pulmonar nocardiosis (1) | HIV infection | Nocardia spp. | Antiretroviral drugs TMP+SMX | Cure |
| Niterói/RJ (2009) [98] | Pulmonary abscesso (1) | Chronic lymphocytic leukemia | Nocardia brasiliensis | TMP+SMX | Cure |
| São Paulo/SP (2011)[99] | Endocarditis (1) | Liver transplant, corticotherapy | Nocardia sp. | CSP, AZ/IMP, AMK, TMP+SMX | Cure |
| São Paulo/SP (BH/Fortaleza/Uberlândia) (2011) [45] | Disseminated (1) | Kidney transplant | Nocardia sp. | TMP+SMX | Cure |
| São Paulo/SP (2012) [52] | Pneumocystis, fungal infections or nocardiosisd (20) | Not identified | Nocardia sp. | Not identified | Not identified |
a
AMB, amphotericin B; AMK, amikacin; AZ, azathioprine, CET, cephalothin; CFPM, cefepime; CIL, cilastatin; CM, clindamycin; CS, cycloserine; CSP, cyclosporine; CTR, ceftriaxone; IMP, imipenem; SUF, sufadiazine; TMP+SMX, trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole; VAN, vancomycin.
b
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
c
Coinfection with M. tuberculosis and Aspergillus sp.
d
Bronchoscopy diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with negative sputum smear microscopy results.