A pulmonary mass caused by Rhodococcus equi infection in a renal transplant recipient

A 62-year-old male kidney transplant recipient was admitted to hospital with a 14-day history of fever, hemoptysis and left-sided pleuritic chest pain. He had suffered malaise, weight loss, night sweats and exertional dyspnea over the previous 3 months. Imaging studies of the patient's chest revealed a noncavitated mass measuring 5 x 8 cm in the anterior segment of the left upper lobe of the lung and a left-sided pleural effusion with septa, and bacterial cultures revealed the presence of Rhodococcus equi.

Physical examination, laboratory tests, chest X-ray, CT scan of the chest, bronchoscopy, and bacterial culture of blood, sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and pleural fluid.

R. equi infection with bacteremic pleuropneumonia and pseudotumor. A secondary myopathy occurred 6 months after diagnosis of the infection as a result of a drug interaction between clarithromycin and simvastatin.

Long-term combination antibiotic therapy (ciprofloxacin plus vancomycin or clarithromycin), resection of the inflammatory pseudotumor, and reduction of immunosuppressive therapy. Following the diagnosis of myopathy, simvastatin was discontinued.