Use of computerised tomography to diagnose a Rhodococcus equi mediastinal abscess causing severe respiratory distress in a foal.
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REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Rhodococcoccus equi is a significant cause of bronchopneumonia in foals worldwide. Infection of the lungs is believed to result from inhalation of virulent R. equi in dust from contaminated environments. A measure of infectious risk in an environment is the level of airborne contamination. OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the level of airborne virulent R. equi in paddocks and stables. METHODS: Air samples were collected sequentially over the 2003 foaling season from the paddocks and stables on 3 Irish horse breeding farms affected by R. equi pneumonia. Colony blotting and DNA hybridisation techniques allowed quantitation of virulent R. equi. RESULTS: The odds of detecting airborne virulent R. equi in stables were 173 times greater than in paddocks. The median airborne concentration of virulent R. equi was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in stables than in paddocks on all farms. These observations suggested that stables were high-risk areas for infection. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Our results indicate that contaminated stables are a significant risk factor in the epidemiology of R. equi pneumonia on horse-breeding farms in a temperate climate, such as in Ireland. Management strategies that improve the air hygiene of stables, through better ventilation, use of less fragile bedding material and the use of fogging agents to reduce the airborne concentration of virulent R. equi, may reduce the incidence and severity of R. equi pneumonia on farms.
Rhodococci display a diverse range of metabolic capabilities and they are a ubiquitous feature of many environments. They are able to degrade short-chain, long-chain, and halogenated hydrocarbons, and numerous aromatic compounds, including halogenated and other substituted aromatics, heteroaromatics, hydroaromatics, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They possess a wide variety of pathways for degrading and modifying aromatic compounds, including dioxygenase and monooxygenase ring attack, and cleavage of catechol by both ortho- and meta-routes, and some strains possess a modified 3-oxoadipate pathway. Biotransformations catalyzed by rhodococci include steroid modification, enantioselective synthesis, and the transformation of nitriles to amides and acids. Tolerance of rhodococci to starvation, their frequent lack of catabolite repression, and their environmental persistence make them excellent candidates for bioremediation treatments. Some strains can produce poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s, others can accumulate cesium, and still others are the source of useful enzymes such as phenylalanine dehydrogenase and endoglycosidases. Other actual or potential applications of rhodococci include desulfurization of coal, bioleaching, use of their surfactants in enhancement of oil recovery and as industrial dispersants, and the construction of biosensors.
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The structures of rhodopeptins, novel antifungal peptides, were determined on the basis of physico-chemical analyses of the intact molecules and their acid hydrolysates. The structures of rhodopeptins C1, C2, C3, C4 and B5 were determined to be cyclo (-Gly-L-Orn-L-Val-3-amino-10-methyldodecanoyl-), cyclo (-Gly-L-Orn-L-Ile-3-amino-10-methyldodecanoyl-), cyclo (-Gly-L-Orn-L-Val-3-amino-12-methyltridecanoyl-), cyclo (-Gly-L-Orn-L-Val-3-amino- 12-methyltetradecanoyl-) and cyclo (-Gly-L-Lys-L-Val-3-amino-13-methyltetradecanoyl-), respectively. They are novel cyclic tetrapeptides containing a lipophilic beta-amino acid.
Total syntheses of cyclo (-Gly-L-Lys-L-Val-(R)-3-aminododecanoyl-); LV9nA and its diastereomer cyclo (-Gly-L-Lys-L-Val-(S)-3-aminododecanoyl-); LV9nB, congeners of rhodopeptin B5 on beta-amino acid moiety, were achieved. The beta-amino acid moiety was prepared as a racemate by the thermal Michael addition of an amine to alpha,beta-unsaturated ester. The racemic beta-amino acids were converted to their L-Valylamide derivatives and the obtained diastereomers were separated. Coupling of both diastereomers, L-Val-beta-amino acids with Gly-L-Lys gave linear tetrapeptides, and tetrapeptides were cyclized by diphenylphosphoryl azide (DPPA) method between C-terminus of beta-amino acid and N-terminus of Gly to give cyclic tetrapeptides. The deprotected cyclic tetrapeptides, LV9nA and LV9nB, both exhibited almost the same antifungal activity as the naturally obtained rhodopeptins. Furthermore, comparison of the 1H NMR spectra of two congeners and rhodopeptin B5 suggested that the stereochemistry of beta-amino acid moiety in natural rhodopeptin B5 has (R)-configuration.
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Relationships between demethylase activity, formaldehyde and oxygen were investigated. Demethylase activity was measured against the following substrates: veratric, vanillic, and isovanillic acids, as well as in the presence of guaiacol. The influence of ATP and GTP on demethylase activity was also checked. Demethylase activity was found to be dependent on the capability of the cells for endogenous oxygen uptake. In some cases ATP produced the opposite effect: instead of being taken up, oxygen was released, which suggested a reversibility of the demethylation reaction. Curiously enough, GTP demonstrated the same effect. Changes in enzyme activity were correlated with those occurring in the level of formaldehyde. The latter increased after addition of ATP, but decreased after addition of GTP.
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Rhodococus equi infection is frequent in animals, but rare in humans. It usually appears as an opportunistic infection, occurring in clinical settings where a compromise of cellular immunity exists, such as in leukemia, neoplastic or transplanted patients. It is currently considered, as another opportunistic AIDS infection. Sixty six cases of Rhodococus equi pneumonia have been published until March 1996. The differential diagnosis includes TB and Staphyloccocal Pneumonia and is generally an infection which is difficult to treat, often resistant to Betalactamic drugs. Therapeutic options include an association of intracellular active antibiotics. The authors report the first Rhodococus equi pneumonia diagnosed in their Hospital and discuss the main difficulties in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach.
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