[Vertebral osteomyelitis caused by Rhodococcus equi in a three-and-half-month-old Dutch Warmblood foal].

Rhodococcus equi infection occurs worldwide and is especially a problem in foals, where it often causes colitis or pneumonia. Other organs are seldom affected, and their involvement is regarded as a complication of pneumonia and/or colitis. Vertebral osteomyelitis is one such rare complication and is probably caused by haematogenous spread from inflammatory lesions in the lungs and/or intestine. In rare cases, osteomyelitis can be caused by contamination of a wound. This case study describes a foal with vertebral osteomyelitis due to R. equi in which there were only minor inflammatory changes in a mesenteric lymph node.