Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms of nocardiosis vary depending on which part of your body is affected.
Nocardiosis most commonly occurs in the lungs. If your lungs are infected, you can experience:
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Pneumonia
When lung infections occur, the infection can spread to the brain. If your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) is infected, you can experience:
- Headache
- Weakness
- Confusion
- Seizures
Skin infections can occur when soil containing Nocardia species gets into open wounds or cuts. Farming or gardening without gloves and protective clothing increases the risk of cuts, thorn pricks, or other minor injuries. If your skin is infected, you can develop:
- Skin ulcers (shallow wound on the surface of the skin)
- Nodules, sometimes draining, with the infection spreading along lymph nodes
- Page last reviewed: March 30, 2016
- Page last updated: March 30, 2016
- Content Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP)