Resistance of Rhodococcus equi to acid pH.
Abstract: Rhodococcus equi is an important gram-positive intracellular facultative pathogen in foals of less than 3 months of age, that causes suppurative bronchopneumonia, lymphadenitis and/or enteritis. The disease in young foals mainly occurs in spring and summer when weather conditions are favorable for survival and multiplication of the bacteria in the environment. R. equi is widespread in the environment of horsebreeding farms: it has been isolated from the soil of paddocks and from the feces of adult horses and foals. Aerosol infection via dust of paddocks seems to be the major route of foal infections. The molecular mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis are not well understood and little is known about the markers or factors associated with virulence of R. equi. However, the discovery of a large plasmid in virulent strains and its association with virulence in mice and in young foals was reported. In this report, we studied the acid resistance of virulent R. equi in comparison with its avirulent plasmid-free isogene.
Publication Date: 2000-05-03 PubMed ID: 10791761DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1605(00)00172-0Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article explores the acid resistance of a pathogen called Rhodococcus equi, which is often found in young foals and causes a variety of ailments. The report also studies the differences in acid resistance between this pathogen and its non-virulent variant.
Background of the Study
- The research focuses on Rhodococcus equi, a gram-positive intracellular facultative pathogen that is a concern for foals less than 3 months old.
- This pathogen is responsible for a host of diseases in young foals, including suppurative bronchopneumonia, lymphadenitis, and enteritis.
- Disease outbreaks are common in the warmer months of spring and summer when conditions favor the survival and multiplication of the bacteria in the environment.
Occurrence and Infection Route
- R. equi is prevalent in horsebreeding farms and has been found in the soil of paddocks and in the feces of adult horses and foals.
- The major route of infection in foals appears to be through aerosol transmitted through dust from paddocks.
Understanding the Pathogenesis and Virulence of R. equi
- Understanding the molecular mechanisms linked with the pathogenesis of this bacterium poses a challenge as it is not well understood.
- Limited information is available about markers or factors. These markers or factors are directly related to the virulence of R. equi.
- However, a significant finding was the association of a large plasmid in virulent strains. This plasmid was linked with virulence in both mice and young foals.
Purpose and Results of the Study
- The main purpose of this report was to study the acid resistance of the virulent R. equi and compare it with its avirulent plasmid-free isogene.
- Although the results of this comparison are not detailed in the abstract, they would offer further insight into the behaviors and characteristics of this disease-causing pathogen.
Cite This Article
APA
Benoit S, Taouji S, Benachour A, Hartke A.
(2000).
Resistance of Rhodococcus equi to acid pH.
Int J Food Microbiol, 55(1-3), 295-298.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0168-1605(00)00172-0 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie de l'Environnement, IRBA, Université de Caen, France.
MeSH Terms
- Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
- Plasmids
- Rhodococcus equi / genetics
- Rhodococcus equi / pathogenicity
- Rhodococcus equi / physiology
- Virulence
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Knox A, Zerna G, Beddoe T. Current and Future Advances in the Detection and Surveillance of Biosecurity-Relevant Equine Bacterial Diseases Using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP).. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 18;13(16).
- Hansen P, von Bargen K, Jünger-Leif A, Haas A. Laboratory Plasticware Induces Expression of a Bacterial Virulence Factor.. mSphere 2022 Oct 26;7(5):e0031122.
- Kuhl T, Chowdhury SP, Uhl J, Rothballer M. Genome-Based Characterization of Plant-Associated Rhodococcus qingshengii RL1 Reveals Stress Tolerance and Plant-Microbe Interaction Traits.. Front Microbiol 2021;12:708605.
- Hébert L, Bidaud P, Goux D, Benachour A, Laugier C, Petry S. Study of lysozyme resistance in Rhodococcus equi.. Curr Microbiol 2014 Mar;68(3):352-7.
- Muscatello G, Anderson GA, Gilkerson JR, Browning GF. Associations between the ecology of virulent Rhodococcus equi and the epidemiology of R. equi pneumonia on Australian thoroughbred farms.. Appl Environ Microbiol 2006 Sep;72(9):6152-60.
- Lührmann A, Mauder N, Sydor T, Fernandez-Mora E, Schulze-Luehrmann J, Takai S, Haas A. Necrotic death of Rhodococcus equi-infected macrophages is regulated by virulence-associated plasmids.. Infect Immun 2004 Feb;72(2):853-62.
- Cotter PD, Hill C. Surviving the acid test: responses of gram-positive bacteria to low pH.. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2003 Sep;67(3):429-53, table of contents.
- Benoit S, Benachour A, Taouji S, Auffray Y, Hartke A. H(2)O(2), which causes macrophage-related stress, triggers induction of expression of virulence-associated plasmid determinants in Rhodococcus equi.. Infect Immun 2002 Jul;70(7):3768-76.
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