ACID-FAST AEROBIC ACTINOMYCETES: NOCARDIA Flashcards
Partially acid-fast, obligate aerobic, non-motile and catalase positive
NOCARDIA
Gram negative bacilli with long, thin, beaded, branching filaments; old cultures may fragment into short, rod-shaped, coccoid forms
Microscopy of znocardia
• Cell wall contains peptidoglycan, meso- diaminopimelic acid (DAP) and sugars such as arabinose and galactose
• Grow on media that are used to recover fungi
znocardia
Exhibit wrinkled, chalk-like and orange-
tan pigmentation
• Resistant to lysozyme
Culture of Nocardia
Acquired thru the inhalation of the
organisms that are present in dust and
soil.
Nocardia
cause invasive pulmonary
infections with hematogenous
dissemination throughout the body.
Nocardia
o Chronic, localized, painless subcutaneous infection that is characterized by the presence of sulfur
granules in the affected tissue o Nocardia brasiliensis
Actinomycetoma (Actinomycotic mycetoma)
o Confluent bronchopneumonia where the sputum is thick and purulent although the encapsulation of the abscess is absent.
o Affected tissue do not have sulfur granules.
o Nocardia cyriacigeorgica and Nocardia farcinica.
Pulmonary disease
Biopsy or drainage material
Specimen for anocardia
best samples in
performing a wet mount and staining.
Pus and tissue specimen
o Modified Ziehl-Nielsen or Kinyoun stain
o Gomori’s methenamine-silver stain
Staining technique for Nocardia
observe the
morphology of actinomycetes and differentiate branching Nocardia sp. from non-branching Rhodococcus sp.
Tap Water Agar
Organism that cause Actinomycetoma
Nocardia brasiliensis
Organism that caused Pulmonary disease on Nocardia
Nocardia cyriacigeorgica and Nocardia farcinica.
