Rhodococcus equi: Pathogenesis and Virulence
نویسنده
چکیده
Inhalation of the facultative intracellular bacterium, Rhodococcus equi, can result in a severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in young horses and immunocompromised people. This organism is able to resist innate immune defenses and establish residence within the intracellular environment of the alveolar macrophage. Virulence determinants of R. equi have yet to be fully elucidated, but all equine isolates possess a large virulence-associated plasmid and express the plasmid-encoded surface lipoprotein, VapA. Furthermore, experimental evidence has confirmed that an intact cellular immune response is necessary for clearance of the organism. Author’s address: Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, NY 10461. r 1997 AAEP.
منابع مشابه
Detection of vapN in Rhodococcus equi isolates cultured from humans
Rhodococcus equi can cause severe infections in people, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The R. equi virulence plasmids (vap) encoding vapA and vapB are linked to development of infections in domestic animals. Recently, a novel virulence plasmid, vapN, was identified in isolates cultured from cattle, but its prevalence or significance in human R. equi infections has not been exten...
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