Journal article
Detection of Virulent Rhodococcus equi in Exhaled Air Samples from Naturally Infected Foals
G Muscatello, JR Gilkerson, GF Browning
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY | AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY | Published : 2009
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01395-08
Abstract
Virulent Rhodococcus equi causes pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia in foals. The route of infection of foals has been considered to be inhalation of aerosolized bacteria from soil that is contaminated with equine feces. Thus, disease caused by R. equi has been regarded as an opportunistic infection of environmental origin and not a contagious disease. In this study, we report the exhalation of virulent R. equi from the respiratory tract of naturally infected foals. A handheld air-monitoring system was used to recover virulent R. equi from the exhaled breath of foals, and the concentration of virulent R. equi organisms in exhaled air was compared to the concentration in environmental air samp..
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Funding Acknowledgements
[ "This work was supported by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation of Australia.", "We thank Garry Anderson for assistance with statistical analysis." ]