zoonoses and communicable diseases common to ... - PAHO/WHO

232 BACTERIOSESmuch more accurate to collect material from a bronchial sample obtained throughpercutaneous thoracic aspiration, or biopsy during a lobectomy. R. equi can sometimesbe found in cultures with a variety of other bacteria and may be inadvertentlydiscarded as “diphtheroid.” The etiologic agent could be isolated from the blood ofapproximately one-third of human patients with pneumonia (Prescott, 1991).Control: There are no practical measures for protecting humans or foals. It ismore reasonable to prevent diseases that predispose humans to infection by R. equi,particularly AIDS. Another measure could be to reduce the dose of immunosuppressivemedications whenever possible.There are no preventive vaccines for equine rhodococcosis. On horse-breedingfarms, the accumulation of feces and resulting multiplication of R. equi should notbe permitted. Dusty conditions should be avoided in and around stables. On endemicfarms, it is recommended that foals be examined frequently in the first months oflife and that sick foals be treated (Fraser et al., 1991).BibliographyBarton, M.D., K.L. Hughes. Corynebacterium equi:A review. Vet Bull 50:65–80, 1980.Carman, M.G., R.T. Hodges. Distribution of Rhodococcus equi in animals, birds and fromthe environment. N Z Vet J 35:114–115, 1987.Fraser, C.M., J.A. Bergeron, A. Mays, S.E. Aiello, eds. The Merck Veterinary Manual. 7thed. Rahway: Merck; 1991.Harvey, R.L., J.C. Sunstrum. Rhodococcus equi infection in patients with and withouthuman immunodeficiency virus infection. Rev Infect Dis 13:139–145, 1991.Hietala, S.K., A.A. Ardans, A. Sansome. Detection of Corynebacterium equi-specific antibodyin horses by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Am J Vet Res 46:13–15, 1985.Mutimer, M.D., J.B. Woolcock, B.R. Sturgess. Corynebacterium equi in human faeces.Med J Aust 2:422, 1979. Cited in: Prescott, J.F. Rhodococcus equi: An animal and humanpathogen. Clin Microbiol Rev 4:20–34, 1991.Prescott, J.F. Rhodococcus equi: An animal and human pathogen. Clin Microbiol Rev4:20–34, 1991.Takai, S., K. Koike, S. Ohbushi, et al. Identification of 15- to 17-kilodalton antigens associatedwith virulent Rhodococcus equi. J Clin Microbiol 29:439–443, 1991a.Takai, S., S. Ohbushi, K. Koike, et al. Prevalence of virulent Rhodococcus equi in isolatesfrom soil and feces of horses from horse-breeding farms with and without endemic infections.J Clin Microbiol 29:2887–2889, 1991b.Takai, S., H. Ohkura, Y. Watanabe, S. Tsubaki. Quantitative aspects of fecal Rhodococcus(Corynebacterium) equi in foals. J Clin Microbiol 23:794–796, 1986.Timoney, J.F., J.H. Gillespie, F.W. Scott, J.E. Barlough. Hagan and Bruner’s Microbiologyand Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals. 8th ed. Ithaca: Comstock; 1988.Van Etta, L.L., G.A. Filice, R.M. Ferguson, D.N. Gerding. Corynebacterium equi:A reviewof 12 cases of human infection. Rev Infect Dis 5:1012–1018, 1983.Yager, J.A. The pathogenesis of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals. Vet Microbiol14:225–232, 1987.