Rhodococcus equi

Rhodococcus equi is a Gram-positive coccoid bacteria. The organism commonly lives in dry and dusty soil and can be important for diseases of domesticated animals (horses and goats). The frequency of infection reaches near 60 percent. R. equi is the most important pathogen of pneumonia of foals. In addition there is a the possibility, that the pathogen can transfer to humans. The most endangered groups are immunsupprimised people and AIDS-patients.

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In taxonomies, R. equi can have the synonymes Corynebacterium equi, Bacillus hoagii, Corynebacterium purulentus, Mycobacterium equi, Mycobacterium restrictum, Nocardia restricta and Proactinomyces restrictus.

Literature

• Monika Venner und Erich Klug: Die Rhodococcus-equi-Pneumonie beim Fohlen: Diagnose, Therapie, Prophylaxe In: Pferde spiegel Nummer 4, 2005. Seiten 155-158 PDF

• J. Ashour und M. K. Hondalus: Phenotypic mutants of the intracellular actinomycete Rhodococcus equi created by in vivo Himar1 transposon mutagenesis. In: Journal of Bacteriology. Volume 185, Nummer 8, April 2003. Seiten 2644-2652. doi:10.1128/JB.185.8.2644-2652.2003

• A. Triskatis: Semiquantitative Bestimmung von Antikörpern gegen Rhodococcus equi in Serum und Klolostrum bei Stuten und Fohlen mittels ELISA und der Vergleich mit Befunden der Lungenuntersuchung PDF