Pulmonary nocardiosis

**Definition:** A disease of the respiratory system, caused by an infection with the gram-positive bacteria Nocardia. This disease is characterised by chest pain, haemoptysis, fever, weight loss, and cough. Transmission is by inhalation of Nocardia from soil or water. Confirmation is by identification of Nocardia in sputum samples, or lung biopsy.

**Long definition:** This is a pulmonary infectious disease affecting either the lungs (pulmonary nocardiosis) or the whole body (systemic nocardiosis). It is due to infection by bacterium of the genus Nocardia, most commonly Nocardia asteroides or Nocardia brasiliensis.