Nocardial cerebral abscess in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Nocardial cerebral abscess is an unusual neurologic manifestation of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. A 20-year-old woman with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome presented with headache and fever. Nocardia asteroides was cultured from a stereotaxic brain biopsy specimen. Despite antibiotic therapy to which the pathogen was sensitive, resolution of the abscess followed only after complete surgical excision.