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Bacteremia due to Rhodococcus equi: a case report and review of the literature

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Abstract

Rhodococcus equi, previously known as Corynebacterium equi, is one of the most important causes of zoonotic infections in grazing animals. Increased cases of human infection with R. equi have been reported, especially in immunocompromised patients, within recent years. We present a case of R. equi bacteremia in a 51-year-old man with diabetes and liver cirrhosis, on long-term corticosteroid therapy after skin-grafting surgery. The patient recovered soon after he was treated with vancomycin. This review focuses on the microbiological characteristics of this organism, and the diagnosis and treatment of this infection.

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Correspondence to Feng Xu.

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Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30871130) and the Youth Talent Special Fund of the Health Bureau of Zhejiang Province, China (No. 2008QN016)

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Chen, Xy., Xu, F., Xia, Jy. et al. Bacteremia due to Rhodococcus equi: a case report and review of the literature. J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. B 10, 933–936 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B0920214

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B0920214

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