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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals - how to diagnose it

By Madarame, H et al.Ā·Published in Veterinary pathologyĀ·1996Ā·Department of Laboratory Animal Science, JapanĀ·View original on PubMed →

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Original publication title: Immunohistochemical detection of virulence-associated antigens of Rhodococcus equi in pulmonary lesions of foals.

Species:
horse

Plain-English summary

Researchers found a bacteria called Rhodococcus equi in the lungs of six young horses (foals) suffering from bronchopneumonia, which is a type of lung infection. Tests showed that this bacteria had certain proteins that could help it cause disease, and these proteins were mostly found in immune cells that try to fight off infections. A special test using a specific antibody could help veterinarians diagnose pneumonia caused by this bacteria more accurately. Overall, the findings suggest that identifying these proteins could improve how we diagnose and treat this type of pneumonia in foals.

Abstract

Rhodococcus equi was isolated from the lungs of six foals with bronchopneumonia. All isolates expressed 15-17-kd antigens by immunoblot analysis and contained a virulence-associated plasmid of 85 or 90 kb. Immunohistochemically, R. equi from all pulmonary lesions showed the expression of 15-17-kd antigens mainly in the phagocytic cells. The specific monoclonal antibody to 15-17-kd antigens of R. equi (MAb 10G5) may be an aid in the diagnosis of R. equi-induced pneumonia.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8740709/