Bird fancier's lung complicated by pulmonary nocardiosis.

ABSTRACT

We report the case of an 84-year-old male who was admitted to the hospital with persistent cough and dyspnea. An initial chest X-ray revealed pulmonary infiltrates. Nocardia asteroides was detected in sputum, and the patient was treated with antibiotics. However, his symptoms did not completely resolve. He was admitted multiple times, and his symptoms relapsed after every discharge. He was finally suspected of having hypersensitivity pneumonitis and was diagnosed with bird fancier's lung. Pulmonary nocardiosis is likely to develop in patients with chronic pulmonary disorders, such as COPD, as well as in immunosuppressed hosts. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of bird fancier's lung complicated by pulmonary nocardiosis.