Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of nocardiosis vary depending on which part of your body is affected.

Nocardiosis most commonly occurs in the lungs. If your lungs are infected, you can experience:

• Fever
• Weight loss
• Night sweats
• Cough
• Chest pain
• Pneumonia

When lung infections occur, the infection can spread to the brain. If your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) is infected, you can experience:

• Headache
• Weakness
• Confusion
• Seizures

Skin infections can occur when soil containing Nocardia species gets into open wounds or cuts. Farming or gardening without gloves and protective clothing increases the risk of cuts, thorn pricks, or other minor injuries. If your skin is infected, you can develop:

• Skin ulcers (shallow wound on the surface of the skin)
• Nodules, sometimes draining, with the infection spreading along lymph nodes