FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract / Rhodococcus equi foal pneumonia.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice2014; 30(3); 609-622; doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2014.08.010

Rhodococcus equi foal pneumonia.

Abstract: Pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi is an important cause of disease and death in foals. This article reviews current knowledge of the epidemiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of R equi pneumonia in foals.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2014-10-03 PubMed ID: 25282322DOI: 10.1016/j.cveq.2014.08.010Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Review

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 is about pneumonia in foals caused by Rhodococcus equi, a significant cause of disease and death in foals, including a thorough analysis of the infection’s spread, clinical indications, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention methods.

Epidemiology of Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia in foals

In the section dedicated to epidemiology, the article looks at how Rhodococcus equi pneumonia spread in the equine population, with particular emphasis on newborn foals.

  • The paper could discuss the common patterns of infection acquisition, including both environmental factors and foal-to-foal transmission modes.
  • It may provide data about infection rates within specific regions, seasons, or age groups of foals, presenting a clearer picture of the disease distribution pattern.

Clinical Signs and Diagnosis of Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia

The section on clinical symptoms and diagnosis delves into the outward signs typically seen in infected foals and how veterinarians can positively diagnose Rhodococcus equi pneumonia.

  • The clinical signs listed might include physical symptoms like coughing and rapid breathing, or more generic signs like fevers and weight loss in foals.
  • Diagnostic strategies could involve various tests to detect the bacteria, such as sputum cultures or X-ray imaging of the foal’s chest for signs of pneumonia.

Treatment of Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia

This research article section provides an account of existing treatments for this condition as well as potential advancements in medicine

  • Therapies may include broad-spectrum antibiotics to kill the bacteria or supportive therapies to alleviate symptoms and improve the foal’s overall health.
  • The document might delve into the success rates of various treatments, depending on the severity of infection and the foal’s overall health status.

Prevention and Control of Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia

The article’s final part, on prevention and control, offers information on how to reduce the occurrence of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia and manage an outbreak if it happens.

  • In terms of prevention, the article may suggest vaccination strategies, changes in farming or breeding practices, or measures to improve overall foal health.
  • Control methods might involve halting the spread of the bacteria within a population, such as quarantine or treatment of infected foals, or eliminating the bacteria from the environment.

Cite This Article

APA
Cohen ND. (2014). Rhodococcus equi foal pneumonia. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 30(3), 609-622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2014.08.010

Publication

The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice
ISSN: 1558-4224
NlmUniqueID: 8511904
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Pages: 609-622

Researcher Affiliations

Cohen, Noah D
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4475, USA. Electronic address: ncohen@cvm.tamu.edu.

MeSH Terms

  • Actinomycetales Infections / microbiology
  • Actinomycetales Infections / therapy
  • Actinomycetales Infections / veterinary
  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horse Diseases / therapy
  • Horses
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / microbiology
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / therapy
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / veterinary
  • Rhodococcus equi / isolation & purification

Citations

This article has been cited 22 times.
  1. Huguet A-S, Gourbeyre O, Bousquet-Mélou A, Ferran AA, Lallemand EA. Reassessment of extracellular and intracellular activity of macrolides, rifampicin, and doxycycline against Rhodococcus equi based on bacterial counts and microscopy. Microbiol Spectr 2025 Sep 2;13(9):e0120525.
    doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01205-25pubmed: 40728410google scholar: lookup
  2. Golen GS, Erganiş O, Balevi A. Comparison of the efficacies of Rhodococcus equi recombinant vaccine in mice. Vet Res Forum 2025;16(5):253-259.
    doi: 10.30466/vrf.2024.2028438.4266pubmed: 40693028google scholar: lookup
  3. da Silveira BP, Kahn SK, Legere RM, Bray JM, Cole-Pfeiffer HM, Golding MC, Cohen ND, Bordin AI. Enteral immunization with live bacteria reprograms innate immune cells and protects neonatal foals from pneumonia. Sci Rep 2025 May 25;15(1):18156.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-02060-5pubmed: 40415003google scholar: lookup
  4. da Silveira BP, Cohen ND, Lawhon SD, Watson RO, Bordin AI. Protective immune response against Rhodococcus equi: An innate immunity-focused review. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):563-586.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14214pubmed: 39258739google scholar: lookup
  5. Liu L, Cai P, Gu W, Duan X, Gao S, Ma X, Ma Y, Ma S, Li G, Wang X, Cai K, Wang Y, Cai T, Zhao H. Evaluation of vaccine candidates against Rhodococcus equi in BALB/c mice infection model: cellular and humoral immune responses. BMC Microbiol 2024 Jul 8;24(1):249.
    doi: 10.1186/s12866-024-03408-zpubmed: 38977999google scholar: lookup
  6. Price CTD, Hanford HE, Al-Quadan T, Santic M, Shin CJ, Da'as MSJ, Abu Kwaik Y. Amoebae as training grounds for microbial pathogens. mBio 2024 Aug 14;15(8):e0082724.
    doi: 10.1128/mbio.00827-24pubmed: 38975782google scholar: lookup
  7. da Silveira BP, Barhoumi R, Bray JM, Cole-Pfeiffer HM, Mabry CJ, Burghardt RC, Cohen ND, Bordin AI. Impact of surface receptors TLR2, CR3, and FcγRIII on Rhodococcus equi phagocytosis and intracellular survival in macrophages. Infect Immun 2024 Jan 16;92(1):e0038323.
    doi: 10.1128/iai.00383-23pubmed: 38018994google scholar: lookup
  8. Wollanke B, Gerhards H, Ackermann K. Infectious Uveitis in Horses and New Insights in Its Leptospiral Biofilm-Related Pathogenesis. Microorganisms 2022 Feb 7;10(2).
    doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10020387pubmed: 35208842google scholar: lookup
  9. Nielsen SS, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Canali E, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Gonzales Rojas JL, Gortázar C, Herskin M, Michel V, Miranda Chueca MÁ, Padalino B, Pasquali P, Roberts HC, Spoolder H, Ståhl K, Velarde A, Viltrop A, Winckler C, Baldinelli F, Broglia A, Kohnle L, Alvarez J. Assessment of listing and categorisation of animal diseases within the framework of the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) No 2016/429): antimicrobial-resistant Rhodococcus equi in horses. EFSA J 2022 Feb;20(2):e07081.
    doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7081pubmed: 35136423google scholar: lookup
  10. Kahn SK, Cywes-Bentley C, Blodgett GP, Canaday NM, Turner-Garcia CE, Flores-Ahlschwede P, Metcalfe LL, Nevill M, Vinacur M, Sutter PJ, Meyer SC, Bordin AI, Pier GB, Cohen ND. Randomized, controlled trial comparing Rhodococcus equi and poly-N-acetyl glucosamine hyperimmune plasma to prevent R equi pneumonia in foals. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Nov;35(6):2912-2919.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16294pubmed: 34738651google scholar: lookup
  11. Żychska M, Witkowski L, Klementowska A, Rzewuska M, Kwiecień E, Stefańska I, Czopowicz M, Szaluś-Jordanow O, Mickiewicz M, Moroz A, Bonecka J, Kaba J. Rhodococcus equi-Occurrence in Goats and Clinical Case Report. Pathogens 2021 Sep 4;10(9).
    doi: 10.3390/pathogens10091141pubmed: 34578172google scholar: lookup
  12. Vail KJ, da Silveira BP, Bell SL, Cohen ND, Bordin AI, Patrick KL, Watson RO. The opportunistic intracellular bacterial pathogen Rhodococcus equi elicits type I interferon by engaging cytosolic DNA sensing in macrophages. PLoS Pathog 2021 Sep;17(9):e1009888.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009888pubmed: 34473814google scholar: lookup
  13. Kahn SK, Cywes-Bentley C, Blodgett GP, Canaday NM, Turner-Garcia CE, Vinacur M, Cortez-Ramirez SC, Sutter PJ, Meyer SC, Bordin AI, Vlock DR, Pier GB, Cohen ND. Antibody activities in hyperimmune plasma against the Rhodococcus equi virulence -associated protein A or poly-N-acetyl glucosamine are associated with protection of foals against rhodococcal pneumonia. PLoS One 2021;16(8):e0250133.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250133pubmed: 34437551google scholar: lookup
  14. Aslam MW, Lau SF, Chin CSL, Ahmad NI, Rahman NA, Kuppusamy K, Omar S, Radzi R. Clinicopathological and radiographic features in 40 cats diagnosed with pulmonary and cutaneous Rhodococcus equi infection (2012-2018). J Feline Med Surg 2020 Aug;22(8):774-790.
    doi: 10.1177/1098612X19886395pubmed: 32400257google scholar: lookup
  15. Rocha JN, Dangott LJ, Mwangi W, Alaniz RC, Bordin AI, Cywes-Bentley C, Lawhon SD, Pillai SD, Bray JM, Pier GB, Cohen ND. PNAG-specific equine IgG(1) mediates significantly greater opsonization and killing of Prescottella equi (formerly Rhodococcus equi) than does IgG(4/7). Vaccine 2019 Feb 21;37(9):1142-1150.
    doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.01.028pubmed: 30691984google scholar: lookup
  16. Willingham-Lane JM, Berghaus LJ, Berghaus RD, Hart KA, Giguère S. Effect of Macrolide and Rifampin Resistance on the Fitness of Rhodococcus equi. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019 Apr 1;85(7).
    doi: 10.1128/AEM.02665-18pubmed: 30683740google scholar: lookup
  17. Stewart A, Sowden D, Caffery M, Bint M, Broom J. Rhodococcus equi infection: A diverse spectrum of disease. IDCases 2019;15:e00487.
    doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00487pubmed: 30656137google scholar: lookup
  18. Cywes-Bentley C, Rocha JN, Bordin AI, Vinacur M, Rehman S, Zaidi TS, Meyer M, Anthony S, Lambert M, Vlock DR, Giguère S, Cohen ND, Pier GB. Antibody to Poly-N-acetyl glucosamine provides protection against intracellular pathogens: Mechanism of action and validation in horse foals challenged with Rhodococcus equi. PLoS Pathog 2018 Jul;14(7):e1007160.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007160pubmed: 30024986google scholar: lookup
  19. Tirosh-Levy S, Gürbilek SE, Tel OY, Keskin O, Steinman A. Seroprevalence of Rhodococcus equi in horses in Israel. J S Afr Vet Assoc 2017 Jun 26;88(0):e1-e6.
    doi: 10.4102/jsava.v88i0.1508pubmed: 28697612google scholar: lookup
  20. Witkowski L, Rzewuska M, Takai S, Chrobak-Chmiel D, Kizerwetter-Świda M, Feret M, Gawryś M, Witkowski M, Kita J. Molecular characterization of Rhodococcus equi isolates from horses in Poland: pVapA characteristics and plasmid new variant, 85-kb type V. BMC Vet Res 2017 Jan 26;13(1):35.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-0954-2pubmed: 28122544google scholar: lookup
  21. Willingham-Lane JM, Berghaus LJ, Giguère S, Hondalus MK. Influence of Plasmid Type on the Replication of Rhodococcus equi in Host Macrophages. mSphere 2016 Sep-Oct;1(5).
    doi: 10.1128/mSphere.00186-16pubmed: 27747295google scholar: lookup
  22. Kalinowski M, Grądzki Z, Jarosz Ł, Kato K, Hieda Y, Kakuda T, Takai S. Plasmid Profiles of Virulent Rhodococcus equi Strains Isolated from Infected Foals in Poland. PLoS One 2016;11(4):e0152887.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152887pubmed: 27074033google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.