Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in an HIV-infected patient.

We report a case of a 46-year-old HIV-infected patient suffering Rhodococcus equi pneumonia and septicaemia. After the failure of an initial antibiotic treatment, the upper lobe of the right lung was resected due to a cavitating pneumonia. After that the patient stabilized for a period of 7 months by administration of a resistogram-adapted combination of tetracycline, erythromycin and clindamycin. Due to the patient's decision, antibiotic treatment was stopped when a cytomegalovirus retinitis was diagnosed. Six weeks later new pulmonary infiltrations were diagnosed and a Rhodococcus equi bacteraemia evolved. The patient died one year after the first diagnosis of the Rhodococcus equi infection. The present case suggests that the infection with Rhodococcus equi in patients with advanced HIV infection demands permanent antibiotic prophylaxis.