Concomitant Pulmonary Nocardiosis and Tuberculosis in a Patient With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A New View Point

A few case reports of coinfections with Nocardia and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) have previously been published in the literature. We report on a case of concomitant pulmonary nocardiosis and tuberculosis, in a recently diagnosed 55-year-old woman, with rheumatoid arthritis, who had been taking a short course of a low dose corticosteroid. The patient was treated with a combination of amikacin and imipenem, as well as a standard anti-TB regimen. Physiologic doses of corticosteroids might be a predisposing factor for opportunistic infections, such as nocardiosis or tuberculosis.