Isolation of a rare Nocardia wallacei from an HIV-positive patient with pulmonary infection in southern Saudi Arabia

Authors

• Mohamed E. Hamid, Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, PO Box 641, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel.+966 509773687. E-mail: mehamid2{at}yahoo.com
• Martin R. Joseph, Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, PO Box 641, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel.+966 509773687. E-mail: mehamid2{at}yahoo.com
• Ahmed M. Al-Hakami, Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, PO Box 641, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel.+966 509773687. E-mail: mehamid2{at}yahoo.com

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the taxonomic position of an actinomycete isolated from an HIV-positive male patient with pulmonary complications in Asir, southern region of Saudi Arabia. The strain was found to have phenotypic properties typical of nocardiae and 16S rRNA gene analysis clustered the isolate with Nocardia wallacei (accession KC677696) in the phylogenetic branch of the amikacin resistance Nocardia transvalensis complex. We consider that nocardiosis is usually missed or misdiagnosed clinically and recognition of these bacteria based on phenotypic tests is strenuous, but definitive identification is attainable by molecular methods.

Article Type

Case Report

First Page

644

Last Page

647

Recommended Citation

Hamid, Mohamed E.; Joseph, Martin R.; and Al-Hakami, Ahmed M. (2013) "Isolation of a rare Nocardia wallacei from an HIV-positive patient with pulmonary infection in southern Saudi Arabia," Saudi Medical Journal: Vol. 34: Iss. 6, Article 12.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15537/1658-3175.5777