Rhodococcus equi: fatal pneumonia in a patient without AIDS

Rhodococcus equi infections are being recognized with greater frequency in immunocompromised patients and the population infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). R. equi usually causes a progressive pneumonia that may or may not cavitate and is relatively refractory to antibiotic therapy. We report a case of fatal R. equi pneumonia in a normal host.