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Home / Equine Research Bank / FEMS Microbiol Rev / Molecular and infection biology of the horse pathogen Rhodoc...
FEMS microbiology reviews2009; 33(5); 870-891; doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2009.00181.x

Molecular and infection biology of the horse pathogen Rhodococcus equi.

Abstract: The soil actinomycete Rhodococcus equi is a pulmonary pathogen of young horses and AIDS patients. As a facultative intracellular bacterium, R. equi survives and multiplies in macrophages and establishes its specific niche inside the host cell. Recent research into chromosomal virulence factors and into the role of virulence plasmids in infection and host tropism has presented novel aspects of R. equi infection biology and pathogenicity. This review will focus on new findings in R. equi biology, the trafficking of R. equi-containing vacuoles inside host cells, factors involved in virulence and host resistance and on host-pathogen interaction on organismal and cellular levels.
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Publication Date: 2009-04-23 PubMed ID: 19453748DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2009.00181.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article explains the infection biology of Rhodococcus equi, a soil bacterium causing lung diseases in young horses and AIDS patients, with a focus on new findings about the bacterium’s behavior inside the host cells and the factors affecting its virulence and host resistance.

About Rhodococcus equi

  • Rhodococcus equi is a soil actinomycete, a type of bacterium found in soil, which can cause pulmonary (lung-related) diseases.
  • While it primarily affects young horses (foals), it is also a known pathogen for AIDS patients.
  • R. equi is classified as a facultative intracellular bacterium, which means it can survive and multiply both inside and outside host cells. In the case of infection, R. equi sets itself up inside various host cells, particularly macrophages (a type of white blood cell), where it establishes a specific “niche”.

Research on the Pathogenicity of R. equi

  • The research reviewed in this study presents recent findings on the virulence factors of R. equi – elements of the bacterium that contribute to its ability to cause disease.
  • Particular attention is given to chromosomal virulence factors and the role of virulence plasmids (small, independent pieces of DNA within the bacteria that carry virulence genes). Both of these elements are key contributors to the process of infection and determining which hosts the bacterium affects (host tropism).

New Findings and Focus Areas

  • The study additionally reveals new findings concerning the biology of R. equi and how it behaves within the host cell.
  • It covers how the bacterium moves (traffics) contained within vacuoles (small sacs within cells), inside host cells.
  • It further discusses factors that affect both the bacterium’s virulence and the host’s resistance to the infection, shedding light on the complex interaction between the pathogen and host on both the organismal level (affecting the whole organism) and the cellular level (affecting individual cells).

Cite This Article

APA
von Bargen K, Haas A. (2009). Molecular and infection biology of the horse pathogen Rhodococcus equi. FEMS Microbiol Rev, 33(5), 870-891. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6976.2009.00181.x

Publication

FEMS microbiology reviews
ISSN: 1574-6976
NlmUniqueID: 8902526
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 33
Issue: 5
Pages: 870-891

Researcher Affiliations

von Bargen, Kristine
  • Cell Biology Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. bargen@uni-bonn.de
Haas, Albert

    MeSH Terms

    • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / microbiology
    • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / pathology
    • Actinomycetales Infections / microbiology
    • Actinomycetales Infections / pathology
    • Animals
    • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
    • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
    • Horse Diseases / microbiology
    • Horse Diseases / pathology
    • Horses / microbiology
    • Host-Pathogen Interactions
    • Humans
    • Macrophages / microbiology
    • Rhodococcus equi / genetics
    • Rhodococcus equi / pathogenicity
    • Virulence / genetics
    • Virulence Factors / genetics

    Citations

    This article has been cited 46 times.
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