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

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.

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

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

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.

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.