- Pathogen:
- Nocardia asteroides
- Precautions:
- Standard
- Diagnosis:
- Presumptive diagnosis based on clinical findings and laboratory procedures. Smears of exudate stained by the modified Ziehl– Neelsen method are positive. Colonies cultured aerobically on blood agar are white, powdery, and firmly adherent.
- Pathogen Information:
- Long, slender gram-positive filaments. Can be rods or cocci. Saprophytes.
- Epidemiology:
- Survive intracellularly, Cell-mediated immunity is necessary for protection.
- Associated Syndromes:
- Nocardiosis. Other pyogranulomatous conditions.
- Additional Information:
- Resource: Quinn, P. J., et al. Concise Review of Veterinary Microbiology, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2015.