| an unusual case of granulomatous lymphadenitis due to prototheca zopfii var. portoricensis in an immunocompetent man in china. | protothecosis is an uncommon human infection caused by prototheca. prototheca spp can be considered as saprophytes, and in spite of their frequency in the environment, they are of low virulence and may cause chronic infection with low-grade inflammation in humans. at present, only three species are recognized: prototheca wickerhamii, prototheca zopfii and prototheca stagnora. of these, the former two have been associated with human disease. this study was an investigation of the clinical and mic ... | 2010 | 20117953 |
| the mitochondrial genome of the entomoparasitic green alga helicosporidium. | helicosporidia are achlorophyllous, non-photosynthetic protists that are obligate parasites of invertebrates. highly specialized, these pathogens feature an unusual cyst stage that dehisces inside the infected organism and releases a filamentous cell displaying surface projections, which will penetrate the host gut wall and eventually reproduce in the hemolymph. long classified as incertae sedis or as relatives of other parasites such as apicomplexa or microsporidia, the helicosporidia were surp ... | 2010 | 20126458 |
| protothecosis by prototheca wickerhamii in goats. | summary this article reports a new case of protothecosis by prototheca wickerhamii in goats. the animal presented severe respiratory difficulty and nodules, sometimes ulcerated, in the nasal vestibule, mucocutaneous junction of the nostrils and skin of the face. prototheca wickerhamii was isolated from the lesions. the animal had no clinical or haematologiccl evidence of immunodepression. the agent was highly resistant to antimicrobial drugs. the goat was treated unsuccessfully with fluconazole ... | 2010 | 20337944 |
| the first case of feline prototheca wickerhamii infection in japan. | a 3-year-old castrated male domestic short-haired cat was presented with nodules on the left nasal wing and the left earflap. prototheca cells were found after excision biopsy of one of the nodules located on the left earflap. the patient cat was generally in good condition without skin problems. prototheca wickerhamii was isolated from all 6 masses after they were surgically nucleated. the cat was recovered two months after intervention with no recurrence of skin nodules. this report deals with ... | 2010 | 20460834 |
| uncommon fungi isolated from diabetic patients toenails with or without visible onychomycoses. | kodamaea ohmeri and prototheca wickerhamii are rare pathogens for humans, and even more rare as cause of onychomycosis. this work reports the second case of onychomycosis by k. ohmeri and the fourth of onycoprotothecosis; it was made in public health institutions in the hidalgo state, mexico, studying 261 diabetic patients during 2005 and 2006. kodamaea ohmeri was isolated from toenails of a 51-year-old female patient, and p. wickerhamii from three female patients of 48, 49, and 61 years old, re ... | 2011 | 21512855 |
| prototheca wickerhamii mimicking yeast: a cautionary tale. | prototheca spp. are environmental algae that may cause serious infection in the immunocompromised patient. clinical manifestations may mimic other diseases. we present a case of fatal infection in a 78-year-old cardiac transplant recipient and discuss pitfalls in the clinical and laboratory diagnoses. | 2011 | 21653770 |
| protothecal olecranon bursitis: an unusual algal infection. | prototheca is an achlorophyllic alga which rarely causes infections in humans and protothecal olecranon bursitis is remarkably rare. we report a case of a 76-year-old immunocompetent man presenting with pain and swelling of the right elbow secondary to protothecal infection. initial cultures of the olecranon bursal aspirate revealed no growth; however, repeat aspiration after 2 months grew prototheca species on culture. prototheca wickerhamii and prototheca zopfii are the only 2 protothecal spec ... | 2011 | 21804360 |
| prototheca wickerhamii infection of a corneal graft. | algae are generally noninfectious agents in mammals, with few known pathogenic algae. prototheca is an achlorophylic nonphotosynthetic algae, globally ubiquitous, and readily isolated from rivers, lakes, ponds, and soil. although canine and bovine protothecosis have been reported more widely, infections in humans are rare, particularly in patients with an intact immune system. the majority of protothecal infections in humans is associated with prototheca wickerhamii. we report an unusual case of ... | 2011 | 21795977 |
| [Subacute infectious endocarditis of unusual etiology: peculiarities of diagnostics and treatment]. | Infectious endocarditis (IE) is an inflammatory disease of cardiac valves and endocardium of different origin. Subacute IE is a specific form of sepsis associated with the presence of the site of infection in the heart responsible for recurrent septicemia, embolism, and progressive changes in the immune system leading to nephritis, vasculitis, synovitis, and polyserositis. This form develops in response to a low-virulent pathogen (e.g.fungi) or as a result of inefficient antibacterial therapy. A ... | 2011 | 21932571 |
| characterization of prototheca wickerhamii isolated from disseminated algaemia of kidney transplant patient from malaysia. | prototheca wickerhamii isolated from blood of 61-year-old kidney transplant patient was described. although it is classified as an alga (genus chlorella), the disease, protothecosis, is included under mycoses because of its clinical pathological presentations. colony characteristics of p. wickerhamii are indistinguishable from other yeast-like organisms like cryptococcus and candida. fortunately, commercial identification system for yeast can be used to identify this organism to the species leve ... | 2011 | 21948061 |
| Comparative activity and mechanism of action of three types of bovine antimicrobial peptides against pathogenic Prototheca spp. | The yeast-like algae of the genus Prototheca are ubiquitous saprophytes causing infections in immunocompromised patients and granulomatous mastitis in cattle. Few available therapies and the rapid spread of resistant strains worldwide support the need for novel drugs against protothecosis. Host defence antimicrobial peptides inactivate a wide array of pathogens and are a rich source of leads, with the advantage of being largely unaffected by microbial resistance mechanisms. Three structurally di ... | 2011 | 22083804 |
| fatal prototheca wickerhamii bloodstream infection in a cardiac allograft recipient. | | 2011 | 22042831 |
| A case of cutaneous protothecosis in a polyarteritis nodosa patient and review of cases reported in Japan. | A 76-year-old woman farmer with a 20-year history of oral steroid treatment for polyarteritis nodosa, noted a rash consisting of numerous small papules on the dorsum of her right hand in February 2007. The rash worsened over time, and in April 2008 red papules and pustules as big as grains of rice fused to form plaques extending up her arm from the dorsum of the right hand to the extensor surface of the forearm. The plaques were accompanied by erosions, ulcers, and crusts. Skin biopsy specimens ... | 2011 | 21971267 |
| fungus or parasite or both: a diagnostic challenge. | protothecosis is a rare opportunistic infection caused by achlorophilic algae prototheca wickerhamii, mainly in immunocompromised hosts. due to their morphologic appearance in routine culture media, they can often mimic yeast-like opportunistic pathogens such as pneumocystis jirovecii. this can delay the identification of other culprit organisms. we present a fatal case of protothecosis in a 74-year-old immunosuppressed male with concomitant pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (pjp). the presence o ... | 0 | 25722621 |
| [onychomycosis by yeast not common in diabetics of a health center]. | mexican diabetic population frequently presents mycosis under foot hyperkeratosis; however, in another type of onychomycosis as the ones that is assumed candida albicans is the causal agent, it is unknown the frequency, the prevalence and if another candida species or other yeasts are found. | 2016 | 26482238 |
| immunohistopathology of prototheca wickerhamii in cutaneous lesions of protothecosis. | protothecosis is a rare infection caused by pathogenic algae of the genus prototheca. prototheca wickerhamii causes cutaneous/subcutaneous opportunistic infections in humans and small animals. the diagnosis of protothecosis is based on histopathological examination of this organism, which can be confused with other fungi and inflammatory cells in infected tissues. in this study, immunohistopathological investigation was made of infected cutaneous human and animal tissues exhibiting protothecosis ... | 2014 | 24682095 |
| isolation of infectious microalga prototheca wickerhamii from a carp (cyprinus carpio) - a first confirmed case report of protothecosis in a fish. | protothecosis is a rare infection caused by environmentally ubiquitous achlorophyllic microalgae of the genus prototheca. here, we describe a first case of protothecosis in a carp (cyprinus carpio), which is at the same time the first case of protothecosis in a fish, confirmed by phenotype- and molecular-based methods, including pcr sequencing of the rdna cluster and protein profiling using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. | 2017 | 28300290 |
| chronic eosinophilic meningoencephalitis by prototheca wickerhamii in an immunocompetent boy. | human protothecosis is mainly a cutaneous infection caused by the prototheca species. prototheca wickerhamii is an established pathogen of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in dogs, but no eosinophilic pleocytosis of the cerebrospinal fluid has been reported in human cases of meningitis. herein, we report a case of chronic protothecosis manifesting eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in an immunocompetent boy. | 2017 | 28114150 |
| successful treatment of cutaneous protothecosis with liposomal amphotericin and oral itraconazole. | protothecosis is a rare algal infection, affecting primarily immunocompromised hosts. optimal management is unclear: in-vitro antimicrobial breakpoints are not established and therapeutic decisions are primarily based on case reports. we present a case of cutaneous prototheca wickerhamii infection in an immunosuppressed 63 year old male, successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin and prolonged itraconazole. inoculation may have been through frequent hot-tub use, highlighting hot-tub exposu ... | 2016 | 27642561 |
| the in vitro efficacy of essential oils and antifungal drugs against prototheca zopfii. | the algae of the genus prototheca are environmental pathogens whose main reservoir is the habitat of cows. they can cause protothecosis in domestic and wild animals, as well as human beings, with the main etiological agents being prototheca zopfii in animals and prototheca wickerhamii in humans. | 2016 | 26940809 |
| prototheca miyajii sp. nov., isolated from a patient with systemic protothecosis. | species of the genus prototheca are achlorophyllous algae and ubiquitous in nature, and so far, six species have been listed in this genus: prototheca wickerhamii, prototheca zopfii, prototheca blaschkeae, prototheca cutis, prototheca stagnora and prototheca ulmea. a strain of the genus prototheca, ifm 53848t, was isolated in japan from a patient with systemic protothecosis and had been designated p. wickerhamii. our previous study, by using pcr analysis, revealed that its ssu rrna gene (rdna) w ... | 2016 | 26791403 |
| protothecal bursitis after simultaneous kidney/liver transplantation: a case report and review. | solid organ transplantation is an accepted therapy for end-stage diseases of the kidneys, liver, heart, and lungs. unfortunately, transplantation is associated with infectious complications. here, we present a case report of prototheca wickerhamii olecranon bursitis and review all of the cases in solid organ transplant (sot) recipients published in the literature to date. in our patient, the infection resolved with surgical therapy and limited antifungal therapy, and no symptoms have recurred ov ... | 2016 | 26779785 |
| erratum: auxenochlorella protothecoides and prototheca wickerhamii plastid genome sequences give insight into the origins of non-photosynthetic algae. | | 2015 | 26656875 |
| auxenochlorella protothecoides and prototheca wickerhamii plastid genome sequences give insight into the origins of non-photosynthetic algae. | the forfeiting of photosynthetic capabilities has occurred independently many times throughout eukaryotic evolution. but almost all non-photosynthetic plants and algae still retain a colorless plastid and an associated genome, which performs fundamental processes apart from photosynthesis. unfortunately, little is known about the forces leading to photosynthetic loss; this is largely because there is a lack of data from transitional species. here, we compare the plastid genomes of two "transitio ... | 2015 | 26403826 |
| onychoprotothecosis: an uncommon presentation of protothecosis. | onychomycosis is a fairly common condition seen in a dermatology clinic. dermatophytes trichophyton and epidermophyton are the known filamentous fungi implicated. the yeast-like fungi such as candida less commonly cause onychomycosis. the genus prototheca may on preliminary observation resemble yeast-like fungi but a detailed microscopy will reveal the absence of budding and presence of endospores. onychoprotothecosis is an uncommon presentation of human protothecosis. of the two prototheca spec ... | 2015 | 26068353 |
| prototheca wickerhamii algaemia: an emerging infection in solid organ transplant recipients. | prototheca wickerhamii is an alga that rarely causes human disease but has been reported increasingly among immunocompromised individuals. we report a fatal case of p. wickerhamii in a renal transplant recipient who presented with a cutaneous lesion that led to disseminated disease despite treatment with voriconazole. we reviewed previous cases of protothecosis involving solid organ transplant recipients in the literature and discussed the value of newer microbiology platforms, i.e., matrix-assi ... | 2015 | 26040253 |
| prototheca wickerhamii olecranon bursitis successfully treated with adjunctive systemic itraconazole. | | 2015 | 25938347 |
| prototheca zopfii genotype 2-induced nasal dermatitis in a cat. | few published cases of feline protothecosis exist; all of these were restricted to the skin and speciation of the causative organism revealed an infection with prototheca wickerhamii in each case. this report describes prototheca zopfii genotype 2-induced inflammation of the nasal skin and cutaneous mucosa of the right nostril in a 14-year-old neutered female domestic shorthair cat. microscopical examination revealed marked pyogranulomatous inflammation with numerous intralesional algae. these h ... | 2015 | 25814431 |
| protothecal peritonitis in child after bone marrow transplantation: case report and literature review of paediatric cases. | the case presented here illustrates a protothecal infection caused by prototheca wickerhamii in a paediatric haematopoietic stem cell recipient followed by a review of the literature of all 13 paediatric cases published since 1980. protothecosis is a rare disease caused by algae, not described in this setting before. infection was proven additionally post-mortem from peritoneal dialysis fluid. even though no death of a paediatric patient due to this infection has been reported and the mortality ... | 2014 | 25566393 |
| prototheca wickerhamii cutaneous and systemic infections. | prototheca wickerhamii, an environmental alga, rarely causes human infections. we present a case of prototheca wickerhamii cutaneous and systemic infections in an 85-year-old male with adrenal insufficiency. this organism was identified by morphological features and microbiological tests. the patient was successfully treated with ketoconazole. | 2014 | 25274832 |
| a case of cutaneous protothecosis mimics eczema. | we report a case of cutaneous protothecosis due to prototheca wickerhamii in an immunocompetent man presented with a specific eczema-like lesions. dermatological examination revealed erythematous plaques, dark red papules with some coalescence, and a few superficial ulcerations, covered with less scales on his right side chest and neck. fungal culture, histopathological examination and molecular identification confirmed the organism. antifungal susceptibility testing revealed strain sensitive to ... | 2015 | 25200680 |
| protothecosis in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: case report and review of previous cases. | prototheca species are achlorophyllus algae. prototheca wickerhamii and prototheca zopfii cause human disease. in immunocompetent individuals, they cause soft tissue infections and olecranon bursitis, but in transplant recipients, these organisms can cause disseminated disease. we report a fatal case of disseminated p. zopfii infection in an hematopoietic stem cell transplant (hsct) recipient with bloodstream infection and involvement of multiple soft tissue sites. we review all previous cases o ... | 2014 | 24797402 |
| cutaneous protothecosis in a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia. | prototheca wickerhamii has been predominantly recognised as a pathogen in immunocompromised hosts with deficits in innate or cellular immunity. the role of specific immunoglobulin against prototheca in host immunity is uncertain. we describe a case of persistent cutaneous protothecosis in a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia most likely due to common variable immunodeficiency, with clinical response to voriconazole. | 2013 | 24432237 |
| prototheca wickerhamii algaemia presenting as cholestatic hepatitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report and literature review. | human protothecal infection is uncommon and could be localized or systemic disease. disseminated prototheca algaemia tends to occur in immunocompromised patients (solid organ transplants, hematological malignancies) with high mortality. diagnosis could be missed or delayed due to unusual clinical presentation and/or under-recognition of characteristic microscopic features of prototheca species. combined approach that includes removal of source of infection and intravenous amphotericin b provides ... | 2012 | 24432207 |
| ribosomal internal transcribed spacer of prototheca wickerhamii has characteristic structure useful for identification and genotyping. | prototheca species are achlorophyllous algae ubiquitous in nature and known to cause localized and systemic infection both in humans and animals. although identification of the prototheca species in clinical specimens is a challenge, there are an increasing number of cases in which molecular techniques have successfully been used for diagnosis of protothecosis. in this study, we characterized nuclear ribosomal dna (rdna) of a strain of prototheca (fl11-0001) isolated from a dermatitis patient in ... | 2013 | 24312279 |
| prototheca algaemia: a rare but fatal opportunistic infection among immunocompromised individuals. | infections due to prototheca spp. are ubiquitous in nature, occurring in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. the study cohort consisted of 14 cases of prototheca algaemia reported over the past 5 decades and 2 recent cases from study hospitals. prototheca wickerhamii was the most common species. the overall mortality rate was 62.5%. prototheca algaemia, a healthcare-associated infection, was observed in immunocompromised patients and was associated with a poor prognosis. | 2013 | 24270142 |
| prototheca wickerhamii as a cause of neuroinfection in a child with congenital hydrocephalus. first case of human protothecosis in poland. | this report describes a rare case of neuroinfection due to prototheca wickerhamii in a child with severe, congenital hydrocephalus. the infection resolved completely after the patient was treated with oral ketoconazole, followed by intravenous fluconazole and amphotericin b. a probable source of infection was contamination during ventriculoperitoneal drain care procedures. | 2012 | 22858361 |
| protothecosis. | protothecosis is a rare infection caused by achlorophyllic algae that are members of the genus prototheca. they are ubiquitous in nature in organic material. the clinical manifestations can be acute or chronic and local or disseminated. the disease is classified as cutaneous, causing bursitis or disseminated/systemic, affecting both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients, with more severe and disseminated infections occurring in immunocompromised individuals. prototheca wickerhamii and pr ... | 2013 | 22682193 |
| detection of helicosporidium spp. in metagenomic dna. | distinct isolates of the invertebrate pathogenic alga helicosporidium sp., collected from different insect hosts and different geographic locations, were processed to sequence the 18s rdna and β-tubulin genes. the sequences were analyzed to assess genetic variation within the genus helicosporidium and to design helicosporidium-specific 18s rdna primers. the specificity of these primers was demonstrated by testing not only on the helicosporidium sp. isolates, but also on two trebouxiophyte algae ... | 2012 | 22609409 |
| protothecosis: report of a case with 20-year follow-up, and review of previously published cases. | we present a prototheca wickerhamii wound infection case that failed treatment with ketoconazole but was cured with amphotericin-b plus tetracycline. the patient was immunocompetent but had had local steroid injections. we reviewed another 159 cases from the literature. prototheca has infected many areas of the human body, but most often skin, olecranon bursa, or wounds. prior treatment with steroids and immune deficiencies are contributing factors. itraconazole and fluconazole are reasonable in ... | 2012 | 22571772 |
| a rare case of prototheca algaemia in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and recent belimumab infusion. | novel agents for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) have been increasingly used as an alternative to or in combination with conventional therapies. belimumab, a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits b-cell activating factor (baff), has demonstrated efficacy in moderate-to-severe sle with similar adverse effects when compared to other biologic agents and conventional sle therapies. here, we describe a woman with sle and diabetes mellitus (dm) on ... | 2012 | 25374733 |
| case report: infrapatellar bursitis caused by prototheca wickerhamii. | a 54-year-old immunocompetent man presented with an infrapatellar bursitis caused by prototheca wickerhamii. because of clinical and microbiological relapse two weeks after bursectomy, six weekly injections of 5 mg of conventional amphotericin b were chosen for intrabursal treatment. four months after completion of the treatment, the patient remains cured. | 2012 | 24371726 |
| pigeons and their droppings as reservoirs of candida and other zoonotic yeasts. | the importance of pigeons as reservoirs and carriers of cryptococcus neoformans and other species of this genus is well-known; however, less is known about their role as reservoirs and carriers of other yeasts that impact public health. | 2017 | 28720316 |
| successful treatment of multifocal pedal prototheca wickerhamii infection in a feline immunodeficiency virus-positive cat with multiple bowenoid in situ carcinomas containing papillomaviral dna sequences. | a 16-year-old, castrated male, feline immunodeficiency virus (fiv)-positive, domestic shorthair cat developed multiple skin lesions. most of these were bowenoid carcinoma in situ and contained dna sequences consistent with felis catus papillomavirus type 2. two additional lesions that developed in the skin and subcutaneous tissues between the digital and carpal pads on the left forelimb and right hindlimb were shown by cytology, histology and culture to be caused by prototheca wickerhamii. these ... | 2017 | 28491447 |
| case report of cutaneous protothecosis caused by prototheca wickerhamii designated as genotype 2 and current status of human protothecosis in japan. | an 85-year-old japanese woman presented with infiltrative erythema and ulceration on the extensor surface of her right forearm. direct microscopic examination demonstrated spherical and morula-like sporangia, while histopathology revealed numerous microorganisms with a mulberry-like appearance in the dermis. staining of the microorganisms also showed mulberry-like sporangia that resembled the spokes of a wheel. the isolated yeast-like microorganism had been identified as prototheca wickerhamii g ... | 2017 | 28815731 |
| prototheca: a danger underwater. | prototheca wickerhamii rarely causes systemic infection in humans but when it occurs, there are coexisting comorbidities. this case illustrated shows the manifestation of this opportunistic microorganism in an immunosuppressed patient. the patient was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin b with complete resolution of the lesions. | 2017 | 28752062 |
| protothecosis in a patient with t cell lymphocytic leukemia. | human protothecosis is a rare infection caused by algae of the genus prototheca. prototheca wickerhamii has been recognized as the main species that causes infection in immunocompromised hosts with deficits in innate or cellular immunity. we report a case of persisting subcutaneous protothecosis in a patient with t-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia, who also presented a history of disseminated histoplasmosis. | 2017 | 28554708 |