Has anyone had a pet with a Nocardia infection? If so, how did they fare?

Question

It's caused from something in the soil.

Answer 1

Nocardia species cause infections in both humans and animals
(including bovine mastitis and sporotrichoid nocardiosis in horses).

Nocardiosis is an acute, subacute, or chronic infectious disease that occurs in cutaneous, pulmonary, and disseminated forms. Primary cutaneous nocardiosis presents as cutaneous infection (cellulitis or abscess), lymphocutaneous infection (sporotrichoid), or subcutaneous infection (actinomycetoma). Pulmonary infection presents as an acute, subacute, or chronic pneumonitis, usually in immunocompromised hosts. Disseminated nocardiosis may involve any organ; lesions in the brain or meninges are most frequent.

Members of the genus Nocardia are aerobic actinomycetes that are ubiquitous saprophytes in soil, decaying organic matter, and water. At least 15 species of the genus Nocardia have been identified. Nocardia asteroides is the most frequent cause of human disease in the United States; various species are dominant in other parts of the world.
When observed microscopically, either in Gram stains of clinical specimens or cultures or when demonstrated histopathologically in tissues, Nocardia are branching, beaded, filamentous, gram-positive bacteria with a characteristic morphology to a trained observer. Nocardia usually are weakly acid-fast.

The cutaneous, lymphocutaneous, and subcutaneous forms of nocardiosis arise from local traumatic inoculation. Pleuropulmonary disease presumably arises from inhalation exposure. Disseminated infection results from hematogenous dissemination, usually from a pulmonary focus. Most patients with disseminated nocardiosis have underlying immunocompromising disease or are receiving immunosuppressive therapy.

Nocardiosis produces suppurative necrosis with frequent abscess formation at sites of infection.

Prognosis in nocardiosis depends on the site of infection, extent of infection, and underlying host factors.

Cure rates with appropriate therapy are approximately 100% in skin and soft-tissue infections.

In pleuropulmonary infections, cure rates of 90% can be achieved with appropriate therapy.

With disseminated infection, cure rates fall to 63%. Cure rates with brain abscess are only 50%.

Answer 2

This link will tell you all about it. Is this a pet disease? I thought it was only in humans?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocardia