How does Rhodococcus equi affect humans?
Rhodococcus equi is a bacterium that lives in the soil and can cause pneumonia in young (1 to 6 months old) foals. Infection progresses slowly and foals often do not begin to show clinical signs until the disease has become severe. R. equi can infect immunocompromised humans and cause lung infections.
What is Rhodococcus equi infection?
Rhodococcus equi infection is a rare and sometimes elusive disease affecting mainly those with impaired cellular immunity. This bacterium is known to reside in high numbers in dry farm soil and animal manure, with this epidemiological exposure often being a clue to diagnosis.
Is Rhodococcus Rhodochrous a human pathogen?
rhodochrous (complex). Most human infections caused by Rhodococcus have been identified as R. equi and much of the literature discusses this organism.
Is Rhodococcus aerobic or anaerobic?
Rhodococcus equi are Gram-positive, obligate aerobic bacteria. They are catalase-positive, mostly urease-positive and oxidase-negative and their optimal growth temperature is between 30 and 371C (Prescott, 1991).
What does Streptococcus equi cause?
Streptococcus equi causes the disease known as “strangles” in horses. It affects primarily younger horses but may affect older horses that are immunologically naive. S. equi infection is transmitted by direct contact or via fomites such as water troughs, feed bunks, pastures, and stalls.
Is there a vaccine for Rhodococcus equi?
Researchers have developed a vaccine that protects foals against infection with Rhodococcus equi, the most common and important cause of pneumonia in foals older than a few weeks.
What causes Rhodococcus equi?
Rhodococcus equi is a bacterium that inhabits the soil and can cause pneumonia in foals aged 1 to 6 months. Disease in adult horses, people, and other animals is rare and often associated with a deficiency of the immune system, such as people infected with HIV or undergoing cancer chemotherapy. Infection with R.
What is Rhodococcus erythropolis?
erythropolis. Species of the genus Rhodococcus (order Actinomycetales, family Nocardiaceae) are aerobic, gram-positive, partially acid-fast, coccoid to rod-shaped bacteria (9). They have been isolated from a variety of sources (6). Rhodococcus spp. are generally considered to have low virulence (7).
Is Rhodococcus equi Gram-positive or negative?
Microbiology. Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi is a gram-positive, encapsulated, intracellular bacillus, varying from coccoid to long and club-shaped.
Is Rhodococcus equi catalase positive?
Rhodococcus equi are Gram-positive, obligate aerobic bacteria. They are catalase-positive, mostly urease-positive and oxidase-negative and their optimal growth temperature is between 30 and 37 °C (Prescott, 1991).
What are the symptoms of Streptococcus equi?
Classic clinical signs include a fever (often >103°F or >39.5°C) first, followed by one or more of the following symptoms: Lethargy/lack of interest in normal activities. Thick white to yellow nasal discharge. Swelling under the jaw and/or in the throat latch region (from the infected lymph nodes)
Where does Streptococcus equi come from?
Streptococcus equi ssp. equi, the etiologic agent of equine strangles, is inhaled or ingested after direct contact with the discharge from infected horses or from a contaminated environment.
Is lung cavitation associated with Pneumocystis carinii infection in immunodeficiency syndrome?
Lung cavitation associated with Pneumocystis carinii infection in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a report of six cases and review of the literature. Eur. Respir. J.7:134-139. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
What are the possible complications of Rhodococcus equi infection?
Infection with Rhodococcus equi has been reported as an occasional cause of cavitary pneumonia in severely immunocompromised patients, including those with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Is R equi pneumonia associated with HIV infection?
We report two cases of R equi pneumonia presenting in one month in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who had not previously had an opportunistic infection. The clinical and radiographic manifestations of the disease are distinctive and should suggest the diagnosis.
How common are cavitary lesions in patients with pneumonia?
As an example, in one multi-institutional study of 65 episodes of pneumonia among 307 consecutive heart transplant recipients, 4 patients had cavitary lesions, all of whom had Aspergillus(65).