Case Reports
Relapsing Rhodococcus equi infection in a heart transplant recipient successfully treated with long-term linezolid

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Abstract

We report a heart transplant recipient with Rhodococcus equi and Cryptococcus neoformans infection. Despite an initially relapsing course and the acquisition of resistance in vivo, the patient responded to 5 months of linezolid and 6 months of fluconazole. This is the 1st R. equi infection to be cured with linezolid in a heart transplant recipient.

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Case report

We report a 55-year-old man suffering from hypertension and diabetes mellitus who received a heart transplant in April 1999. He developed chronic rejection and received a 2nd transplant in August 2001. Despite prophylaxis with ganciclovir, itraconazole, and cotrimoxazole, he experienced severe postsurgical infectious complications (bacteremic mediastinitis, Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia, and cytomegalovirus [CMV] viremia) from which he recovered successfully. He was discharged and returned to

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Thomas O'Boyle for his help in the translation of the article.

This study does not present any conflict of interest for its authors.

This study was partially financed by a grant from the Spanish Social Security Health Investigation Fund (CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias CB06/06/0058), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and from Fundación Mutua Madrileña, Madrid, Spain.

Jesús Guinea, Pharm D, PhD, is contracted by Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS) CM05/00171, Madrid, Spain.

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CIBER ENFERMEDADES RESPIRATORIAS CB06/06/0058.

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