[Pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi: clinical and radiological findings in 8 AIDS patients].

Abstract

Introduction: the Rhodococcus equi is one bacterium of the order Actinomycetales. It rarely appears in humans, but the HIV/AIDS epidemic has increased the number of cases and the main affected organ is the lung. It causes pneumonia characterized by a slow clinical and radiological progression.

Objective: to describe the initial radiological alterations from R. equi infection in 8 AIDS patients, the radiological evolution and the clinical and immunological presentation.

Methods: a retrospective descriptive study of radiological pulmonary images from AIDS patients with respiratory infection due to Rhodococcus equi was conducted.

Results: these patients presented with high fever (39 degrees C), cough with expectoration and shortness of breath. Homogeneous opacity was the most frequent radiological presentation (62,5% of cases), located predominantly in the lower lobules. The radiological evolution was characterized by opacity with inner cavitation in 4 cases, fibrosis in 4 cases, and one case showed total recovery of lesions. The CD4+ T-cell count was low in all the patients. The evolution ranged from 2 to 33 months.

Conclusions: the R equi pneumonia diagnosis should be borne in mind when dealing with HIV/AIDS patients with compromised immunological condition and breathing process with radiological manifestation of pulmonary consolidation evolving into cavitation, and torpid and prolonged clinical and radiological evolution.