Fatal pulmonary infection related to Nocardiopsis dassonvillei in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Nocardiopsis species are aerobic, gram-positive, non-acid fast rods isolated from soil, waters, and animals. They are opportunistic human pathogens, but very few cases have been published so far. We report the first case of fatal pulmonary infection related to Nocardiopsis dassonvillei in an immunocompetent patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.