肺,播散性和皮肤诺卡菌病在临床和影像学上无特异性。可能会被误认为是各种其他细菌感染,包括放线菌病和结核,以及真菌感染和肺,皮肤和大脑的恶性肿瘤。[5]Yildiz O, Doganay M. Actinomycoses and Nocardia pulmonary infections. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2006;12:228-234.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16582679?tool=bestpractice.com
病史和查体
免疫功能低下的急性,亚急性或慢性肺炎患者,中枢神经系统,皮肤及软组织病变的患者需怀疑诺卡菌病。怀疑诺卡菌病可促进其诊断,尤其是存在易感因素的患者。男性为弱危险因素。肺部疾病的症状通常是非特异性的,包括发热、咳嗽和咳痰。中枢神经系统受累患者常有1个或多个脑脓肿,及颅内压增高表现(如恶心、呕吐、头疼、意识障碍)。皮肤受累患者常表现为皮肤溃疡或脓肿。
实验室检测
诺卡菌病的诊断需要从临床标本中分离鉴定出诺卡菌。因为诺卡菌培养需要花费2周的时间,怀疑诺卡菌感染时应及时通知实验室。然后采取措施优化细菌的鉴定和培养。诺卡菌可以传播到几乎所有器官,所以临床标本也各异。因为大部分病例是肺诺卡菌病,所以最常见的标本来自痰,支气管肺泡灌洗液,或其他呼吸道标本。其他标本来自皮肤活检,皮下穿刺液,脑脊液,活检涂片。[17]Corti ME, Villafane-Fioti MF. Nocardiosis: a review. Int J Infect Dis. 2003;7:243-250.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14656414?tool=bestpractice.com诺卡菌很少在实验室污染菌中见到,每个鉴定标本都需要仔细评估。[41]Saubolle MA, Sussland D. Nocardiosis: review of clinical and laboratory experience. J Clin Microbiol. 2003;41:4497-4501.http://jcm.asm.org/content/41/10/4497.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14532173?tool=bestpractice.com血清学检查不适用,因为没有某种血清学技术可以检查所有临床相关菌株。此外,在免疫缺陷患者,抗体生成障碍。[6]Brown-Elliott BA, Brown JM, Conville PS, et al. Clinical and laboratory features of the Nocardia spp. based on current molecular taxonomy. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006;19:259-282.http://cmr.asm.org/content/19/2/259.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16614249?tool=bestpractice.com
革兰染色和抗酸染色
对培养标本的微观和宏观检查是第一步。[6]Brown-Elliott BA, Brown JM, Conville PS, et al. Clinical and laboratory features of the Nocardia spp. based on current molecular taxonomy. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006;19:259-282.http://cmr.asm.org/content/19/2/259.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16614249?tool=bestpractice.com改良抗酸染色法,和特殊的革兰染色,在等待培养结果时提供了一个特别重要的参考。[18]Martínez R, Reyes S, Menendez R. Pulmonary nocardiosis: risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis and prognosis. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2008;14:219-227.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18427245?tool=bestpractice.com
[Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: 痰标本:诺卡菌改良抗酸染色诺卡菌标本Jorge Garbino博士收集整理 [Citation ends].
多数诺卡菌直接涂片,用弱酸作指示剂时,显示抗酸性。怀疑诺卡菌病初始评估时,应采用革兰染色法和改良抗酸染色。
若最初标本检测阴性但又高度怀疑感染,可再收集一次标本。
肺结核病可以鉴别,因为分枝杆菌用革兰染色法和改良抗酸染色法不着色,显微镜下也不同。
[Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: 痰标本:抗酸染色比较不同形态结核分枝杆菌和诺卡菌Jorge Garbino博士收集整理 [Citation ends].放线菌和诺卡菌可以区分开,因为放线菌改良抗酸染色不着色。[5]Yildiz O, Doganay M. Actinomycoses and Nocardia pulmonary infections. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2006;12:228-234.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16582679?tool=bestpractice.com
培养
诺卡菌可以在用于常规培养细菌、真菌、分枝杆菌的非选择性培养基上生长。一般,由于存在丰富的气生菌丝,菌落呈苍白色或棉花球样外观。[17]Corti ME, Villafane-Fioti MF. Nocardiosis: a review. Int J Infect Dis. 2003;7:243-250.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14656414?tool=bestpractice.com
标本中,如痰中含有混合菌群,诺卡菌菌落容易被其他生长迅速的细菌掩盖。选择性培养基如塞耶马丁抗生素培养基可提高菌落产量,但是怀疑诺卡菌病必须联系实验室优化鉴别和培养。诺卡菌培养48小时到几周不等,但是典型的菌落通常3~5天即可见到。[42]Ashdown LR. An improved screening technique for isolation of Nocardia species from sputum specimens. Pathology. 1990;22:157-161.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2243728?tool=bestpractice.com
细菌分型和分子生物学技术
一旦分离出微生物,多种实验方法可鉴别菌种。生化菌种鉴定实验可初步鉴定狭义星形诺卡菌、南非诺卡菌(星形诺卡菌IV)、鼻疽诺卡菌、豚鼠耳炎诺卡菌、巴西诺卡菌,伪巴西诺卡菌、短链诺卡菌和新星诺卡菌。[41]Saubolle MA, Sussland D. Nocardiosis: review of clinical and laboratory experience. J Clin Microbiol. 2003;41:4497-4501.http://jcm.asm.org/content/41/10/4497.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14532173?tool=bestpractice.com
诺卡菌分类在不断地修订,在某些情况下最终菌种鉴定需要分子生物学,如16S rRNA基因测序和基因间隔区PCR分型,这可能会改变最初的生化鉴定结果。[43]Roth A, Andrees S, Kroppenstedt RM, et al. Phylogeny of the genus Nocardia based on reassessed 16S rRNA gene sequences reveals underspeciation and division of strains classified as Nocardia asteroides into three established species and two unnamed taxons. J Clin Microbiol. 2003;41:851-856.http://jcm.asm.org/content/41/2/851.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12574299?tool=bestpractice.com[44]Wehrhahn MC, Xiao M, Kong F, et al. A PCR-based intergenic spacer (IGS) region-capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) typing method for the identification and subtyping of Nocardia species. J Clin Microbiol. 2012;50:3478-3484.http://jcm.asm.org/content/50/11/3478.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22875897?tool=bestpractice.com菌种分型非常重要,因为不同的菌种具有不同的耐药性特点,而此信息对于调整抗生素治疗非常关键。[6]Brown-Elliott BA, Brown JM, Conville PS, et al. Clinical and laboratory features of the Nocardia spp. based on current molecular taxonomy. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006;19:259-282.http://cmr.asm.org/content/19/2/259.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16614249?tool=bestpractice.com[45]Hagerman A, Rodríguez-Nava V, Boiron P, et al. Imipenem-resistant Nocardia cyriacigeorgica infection in a child with chronic granulomatous disease. J Clin Microbiol. 2011;49:1185-1187.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21177900?tool=bestpractice.com[46]Lai CC, Liu WL, Ko WC, et al. Multicenter study in Taiwan of the in vitro activities of nemonoxacin, tigecycline, doripenem, and other antimicrobial agents against clinical isolates of various Nocardia species. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011;55:2084-2091.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21343461?tool=bestpractice.com如上所述,分子生物学技术可以成功对诺卡菌病进行诊断和分型,包括PCR和实时PCR技术,但并非所有的临床微生物实验室都可开展这种检验室。[47]Tatti KM, Shieh WJ, Phillips S, et al. Molecular diagnosis of Nocardia farcinica from a cerebral abscess. Hum Pathol. 2006;37:1117-1121.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16867876?tool=bestpractice.com
基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱(MALDI-TOF MS)是一种很有前景的快速菌种鉴定工具。广泛应用于其他细菌,对诺卡菌的效果正在评估,但似乎是从培养阳性标本鉴定菌种的快速有效方法。[48]Verroken A, Janssens M, Berhin C, et al. Evaluation of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for identification of nocardia species. J Clin Microbiol. 2010;48:4015-4021.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20861335?tool=bestpractice.com[49]Farfour E, Leto J, Barritault M, et al. Evaluation of the Andromas matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry system for identification of aerobically growing gram-positive bacilli. J Clin Microbiol. 2012;50:2702-2707.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22692743?tool=bestpractice.com更多近期证据指示,很大一部分菌种和诺卡氏菌复合菌种可以准确鉴别,并且 MALDI 库可以在各种机构中实施。[50]Blosser SJ, Drake SK, Andreasko JL, et al. Multicenter matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry study for identification of clinically relevant Nocardia spp. J Clin Microbiol. 2016;54:1251-1258.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26912758?tool=bestpractice.com[51]Khot PD, Bird BA, Durrant RJ, et al. Identification of Nocardia species by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. J Clin Microbiol. 2015;53:3366-3369.http://jcm.asm.org/content/53/10/3366.longhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26269617?tool=bestpractice.com
根据gyrB和rpoB基因来鉴定和分型是一种正在评估中的新技术。[52]Carrasco G, Valdezate S, Garrido N, et al. Identification, typing, and phylogenetic relationships of the main clinical Nocardia species in Spain according to their gyrB and rpoB genes. J Clin Microbiol. 2013;51:3602-3608.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23966490?tool=bestpractice.com
影像学检查
肺诺卡菌或播散性诺卡菌在影像学上无特异性。然而有些常见影像类型可提供诊断参考。
肺诺卡菌X线胸片和胸部CT常见结节和空洞。[18]Martínez R, Reyes S, Menendez R. Pulmonary nocardiosis: risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis and prognosis. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2008;14:219-227.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18427245?tool=bestpractice.com[53]Smilack JD. Images in clinical medicine. Pulmonary and disseminated nocardiosis. N Engl J Med. 1999;341:885.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10486420?tool=bestpractice.com
[Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: 肺诺卡菌病:免疫抑制患者CT扫描存在结节性病变Jorge Garbino博士收集整理 [Citation ends].
因为播散性诺卡菌患者最初神经系统症状不明显,所以一定要做脑CT或MRI排除神经系统受累。[54]Cecchini D, Ambrosioni JC, Gomez A, et al. Disseminated nocardiosis caused by Nocardia abscessus in an HIV-infected patient: first reported case. AIDS. 2005;19:1330-1331.http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2005&issue=08120&article=00015&type=fulltexthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16052092?tool=bestpractice.com大脑影像学经常显示脓肿,与其他细菌引起的感染没有区别。HIV感染患者空洞很常见。[26]Biscione F, Cecchini D, Ambrosioni J, et al. Nocardiosis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection [in Spanish]. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin. 2005;23:419-423.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16159542?tool=bestpractice.com[54]Cecchini D, Ambrosioni JC, Gomez A, et al. Disseminated nocardiosis caused by Nocardia abscessus in an HIV-infected patient: first reported case. AIDS. 2005;19:1330-1331.http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2005&issue=08120&article=00015&type=fulltexthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16052092?tool=bestpractice.com[55]Gezici AR, Daglioglu E, Ergungor F, et al. Cerebral abscess caused by Nocardia nova. Neurol Neurochir Pol. 2008;42:153-156.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18512172?tool=bestpractice.com[56]Kennedy KJ, Chung KH, Bowden FJ, et al. A cluster of nocardial brain abscesses. Surg Neurol. 2007;68:43-49.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17586220?tool=bestpractice.com
[Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: 播散性诺卡菌病:免疫抑制患者脑脓肿CT扫描Jorge Garbino博士收集整理 [Citation ends]. 脑脓肿也可和其他情况相似,特别是恶性肿瘤和脑转移。[56]Kennedy KJ, Chung KH, Bowden FJ, et al. A cluster of nocardial brain abscesses. Surg Neurol. 2007;68:43-49.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17586220?tool=bestpractice.com
手术活检
虽然通常可以通过非侵入标本确认诊断,如痰标本,偶尔需要手术获得标本,排除或确认诺卡菌感染病因。对神经系统受累的免疫功能低下患者尤其重要,因为导致其感染的微生物种类比正常患者更多。[35]Ono M, Kobayashi Y, Shibata T, et al. Nocardia exalbida brain abscess in a patient with follicular lymphoma. Int J Hematol. 2008;88:95-100.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18498026?tool=bestpractice.com[54]Cecchini D, Ambrosioni JC, Gomez A, et al. Disseminated nocardiosis caused by Nocardia abscessus in an HIV-infected patient: first reported case. AIDS. 2005;19:1330-1331.http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2005&issue=08120&article=00015&type=fulltexthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16052092?tool=bestpractice.com[56]Kennedy KJ, Chung KH, Bowden FJ, et al. A cluster of nocardial brain abscesses. Surg Neurol. 2007;68:43-49.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17586220?tool=bestpractice.com 在临床上,脑脓肿患者需考虑脑立体定向活检。[54]Cecchini D, Ambrosioni JC, Gomez A, et al. Disseminated nocardiosis caused by Nocardia abscessus in an HIV-infected patient: first reported case. AIDS. 2005;19:1330-1331.http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2005&issue=08120&article=00015&type=fulltexthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16052092?tool=bestpractice.com[57]Chakrabarti P, Nandi SS, Todi SK. Nocardia brain abscess in a diabetic patient. Indian J Pathol Microbiol. 2008;51:151-153.http://www.ijpmonline.org/article.asp?issn=0377-4929;year=2008;volume=51;issue=1;spage=151;epage=153;aulast=Chakrabartihttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18417891?tool=bestpractice.com[58]Vialle R, Aghakhani N, Otayza F, et al. Nocardia farcinica brain abscess: clinical and specific radiological findings and management. Report of two cases in immunononcompromised patients [in French]. Neurochirurgie. 2002;48:516-521.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12595808?tool=bestpractice.com