Nocardioforms are ubiquitous soil saprophytes which cause opportunistic infections
in humans and other animals. They are exogenous, which means that they are not
part of the normal flora of humans and animals and when they are present in tissue
samples associated with disease, they are considered significant.
Nocardia spp. are commonly associated with superficial or subcutaneous infections,
with multiple draining sinus tracts; lymphocutaneous nocardiosis for example, can
easily be mistaken with sporotrichosis referred to earlier.
Bronchopulmonary infections leading to a slow developing chronic pneumonia is
another common form of nocardiosis.
Nocardioform placentitis:
This form of placentitis has a significant abortion rate, exclusively in the last trimester
(which may mimic fungal infections):
Case study: uterine swab samples received from an adult, T.B. mare with a
late term abortion history (March 2012)
The veterinarian asked for a general culture and fungal culture, since due to the late
abortions a fungus was suspected.
Both cultures pro GV6VB6