Primary cutaneous nocardiosis with multiple, subcutaneous abscesses in a patient with sarcoidosis.

A case of multiple subcutaneous nocardial abscesses is reported in a patient who received systemic corticosteroids over a period of about 4 years for the treatment of visceral sarcoidosis. The diagnosis of subcutaneous abscess caused by Nocardia asteroides was made based on bacteriological examination. It could not be determined before treatment whether the abscesses represented primary or secondary nocardiosis. Surgical drainage and systemic administration of minocycline hydrochloride dramatically resolved the cutaneous lesions. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case in Japan of primary cutaneous nocardiosis in a patient with sarcoidosis.