Rhodococcus equi is a terrestrial bacterium and a common pathogen in foals (Equus caballus), in which causes pneumonia. This report describes for the first time the infection caused by R. equi in a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) stranded in the Calabrian coast, Italy. The post mortem examination of the animal revealed lesions in lung and colon. The animal was also positive to dolphin morbillivirus. The histological study showed lesions attributable to R. equi infection, such as pyogranulomatous bacterial pneumonia and chronic granulomatous colitis. Whole genome sequencing of the isolated strain confirmed its identification as R. equi.

马红球菌是一种陆生细菌，也是马驹（ Equus caballus ）的常见病原体，可引起肺炎。该报告首次描述了在意大利卡拉布里亚海岸搁浅的普通宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus ）中由马冠病毒引起的感染。动物的尸检显示肺部和结肠有病变。该动物的海豚麻疹病毒也呈阳性。组织学研究显示，病变可归因于马罗拉病毒感染，例如化脓性肉芽肿性细菌性肺炎和慢性肉芽肿性结肠炎。对分离菌株的全基因组测序证实其为马立马病毒。