Rhodococcus equi is a well-known intracellular facultative bacterium that is opportunistic in nature, and a contagious disease-causing agent of pyogranulomatous infections in humans and multihost animals. Feline rhodococcosis is an uncommon or unnoticed clinical condition, in which the organism is usually refractory to conventional antimicrobial therapy. The pathogenicity of the agent is intimately associated with plasmid-governed infectivity, which is attributed to the presence of plasmid-encoded virulence-associated proteins (Vap). Three host-adapted virulence plasmid types (VAPs) have been distinguished to date: pVAPA, pVAPB, and pVAPN, whose infections are related to equine, pig, and bovine or caprine origin, respectively, while humans are infected by all three VAP types. Most virulence studies with R. equi plasmid types in animals involve livestock species. Conversely, data on the pathogenicity and human relevance of the virulence plasmid profile of R. equi isolated from cats remains unclear. This report describes a case of cellulitis-related R. equi that harbors the pVAPA-type in a cat with cutaneous lesion. Long-term therapy of the cat using marbofloxacin, a broad-spectrum third-generation fluoroquinolone, resulted effectiveness. pVAPA is a host-adapted virulent type that has been associated predominantly with pulmonary foal infections. Our cat had a history of contact with other cats, livestock (including horses), and farm environment that could have favored the transmission of the pathogen. Besides no clear evidence of cat-to-humans transmission of the pathogen, the identification of R. equi harboring pVAPA-type in a cat with cutaneous abscessed lesion represent relevance in human health because this virulent type has been described in people worldwide with clinical rhodococcal disorders.

马红球菌是一种众所周知的细胞内兼性细菌，本质上是机会性细菌，是人类和多宿主动物脓肉芽肿感染的传染性致病因子。猫红球菌病是一种不常见或未被注意的临床病症，其中生物体通常对常规抗菌治疗无效。该药剂的致病性与质粒控制的感染性密切相关，这归因于质粒编码的毒力相关蛋白 (Vap) 的存在。迄今为止，已经区分了三种宿主适应性毒力质粒类型 (VAP)：pVAPA、pVAPB 和 pVAPN，其感染分别与马、猪和牛或山羊来源有关，而人类则受到所有三种 VAP 类型的感染。大多数毒力研究与动物中的R. equi质粒类型涉及牲畜物种。相反，关于从猫分离的马R. equi毒力质粒谱的致病性和人类相关性的数据仍不清楚。本报告描述了一例与蜂窝织炎相关的马 R. equi在患有皮肤病变的猫中含有 pVAPA 型。使用广谱第三代氟喹诺酮类药物马波沙星对猫进行长期治疗，效果显着。pVAPA 是一种宿主适应性强的毒性类型，主要与肺部感染有关。我们的猫有与其他猫、牲畜（包括马）和农场环境接触的历史，这些环境可能有利于病原体的传播。除了没有明确的证据表明病原体在猫与人之间传播外，在患有皮肤脓肿病变的猫中鉴定出含有pVAPA型的马红球菌代表了与人类健康的相关性，因为这种毒性类型已在全世界患有临床红球菌的人群中进行了描述。障碍。