Rhodococcus Flashcards
1
Q
Habitat; R. equi
A
Soil, plant, gut (horse), environment..
2
Q
Morphology; R. equi
A
Coccus-rod cycle
From cocci -> rods and filaments will be formed after replication
Capsule - big drop like
3
Q
Staining; R. equi
A
Gram-positive
Some acid fast (lipids in cell wall makes it slightly acid fast)
4
Q
Culture; R. equi
A
- Simple (soil bacteria never has high demands) -> nutrient agar, nutrient broth
- Pigment (pink), after culturing over several days
- Capsule
5
Q
Pathogenicity; R. equi
A
- Intracellular pathogen (survival intracellularly)
- Foal: pneumonia, abscesses in the lungs
- Horse: inflammation of the gut wall
- Cattle, swine: mesenteric lymph nodes, abscesses (can be seen post mortem)
- Human (immunosuppressed): pneumonia (immunosuppression, AIDS)
6
Q
Virulence factors; R. equi
A
VapA protein: plasmid coded, more virulent
VapB protein: plasmid coded, less virulent
