Pyogranulomatous dermatitis and panniculitis due to Nocardia nova in a cat

This report describes the clinical, pathological and microbiological findings of an uncommon infection in a cat by Nocardia nova. A 3-year-old male domestic short hair cat with an ulcerated and exudative cutaneous wound was presented for clinical examination. Samples were collected for histopathology and bacteriology diagnosis. Microscopically, the lesion was diagnosed as pyogranulomatous dermatitis and panniculitis with large and irregular colonies of branching filamentous bacterium. Skin bacteriological culture showed gram-positive rods and partially acid-fast branching filaments by gram and kinyoun staining, respectively. The identity of Nocardia nova was confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. This is the first case of pyogranulomatous dermatitis and panniculitis in a cat caused byNocardia nova reported in Brazil.