Asymptomatic cerebral abscesses after pleuropulmonary Nocardia farcinica infection.

We report the case of a 68-year-old man with long-term receipt of steroid therapy who was diagnosed with cerebral abscesses and pulmonary nocardiosis. This patient displayed only respiratory symptoms. Confirmation of Nocardia farcinica species was achieved by specific PCR sequencing of the 16S ribosome RNA in bronchoalveolar lavage cultures. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging revealed abscesses. Antibiotic therapy with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was prescribed given the results of susceptibility tests and was maintained for 12 months, with no evidence of relapse afterwards.

Coronavirus disease 2019 with spontaneous pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema, France.

To our knowledge, Complications such as pneumomediastinum and/or pneumothorax during the course of COVID-19 remain rare and their mechanism is poorly described. We present a case of COVID-19 pneumonia associated with spontaneous pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in an immunocompetent patient with no past history of smoking or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The only risk factor of this patient was prolonged cough. We hypothesize the mechanism underlying the pneumomediastinum is the aggressive disease pathophysiology in COVID-19 with an incresead risk of alveolar damage.