title: Characterisation of Rhodococcus equi strains isolated from foals and from immunocompromised human patients.
abstract: The cultural, morphological, biochemical, serological characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility of 25 Rhodococcus equi strains isolated from lungs and lung abscesses of pneumonic foals and 5 R. equi strains isolated from immuno-compromised human patients were examined. All R. equi strains showed common cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics both with conventional tests and on the basis of their enzyme profile. The R. equi strains examined were resistant to penicillins with the exception of ampicillin, to sulphamethazine and several strains also to sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim. All strains were susceptible to erythromycin and rifampicin. The strains isolated from humans showed somewhat higher rate of antibiotic resistance to penicillin, cefotaxime, kanamycin, streptomycin, lincomycin, and oxytetracycline. The overwhelming majority (96%) of the equine isolates belonged to serotype 1 in Prescott's serotyping system, while the human isolates could not be serotyped.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, H-1581 Budapest, P.O. Box 22, Hungary. makrai@novell.vmri.hu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Makrai
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fodor
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Csivincsik
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Senoner
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szabó
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006736:Horses / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016929:Rhodococcus equi / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D012703:Serotyping