Serological assays have been developed for use in research, but are not available for routine clinical use. Of interest, Nocardia antigens have been identified and used in these assays. However, the recent expansion of Nocardia species and overall changes in taxonomy have made most serological tests obsolete. No recent publications describing serological methods are available.36
Although enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) represent some of the serological tests that have been developed, antigens have now come under scrutiny. Until further research has been performed, the recommendation by CDC is for medical laboratories to utilize genotypic identification methods for the definitive identification of aerobic actinomycetes.
36. Conville PS, Brown-Elliott BA, Witebsky FG. Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Gordonia, Actinomadura, Streptomyces, and other aerobic actinomycetes. In: Carroll KC, Pfaller MA, Landry ML, McAdam AJ, Patel R, Richter SS, Warnock DW, eds. Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 12th ed. ASM Press; 2019:525-557.
