Pulmonary nocardiosis in a patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

We present a case of pulmonary nocardiosis in a patient suffering from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an autoimmune disorder in which platelets are immunologically destroyed. ITP corticosteroid therapy, as well as the patient's diabetes mellitus history caused immunosuppression, leading to an incidental lung infection by nocardia asteroides. The combination of pulmonary nocardiosis and ITP is, as far as we know, very rare. © 2005 The British Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved