Caprine vertebral osteomyelitis caused by Rhodococcus equi.

There have been reports of Rhodococcus equi infections in goats in Australia, America and India. In this study, R. equi was isolated from an inflamed vertebra in a Boer goat in South Africa. At autopsy, there was a purulent inflammatory reaction in the 1st cervical vertebra. Histopathologically, a neutrophilic infiltration was encountered in the bone. Aerobic culture of swabs collected from the abscesses yielded R. equi in pure culture that was identified on biochemical tests. R. equi has become important as the cause of an opportunistic infection in people suffering from HIV.