Onychoprotothecosis due to Prototheca wickerhamii (original) (raw)
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Protothecosis: an emerging algal disease of humans and animals.
Protothecosis is an emerging environmental algal disease of humans, and animals caused by Prototheca species which are unicellular, achlorophyllous saprophytic algae. Human infections are primarily caused by P. wickerhamii, where as animal disease is mainly due to P. zopfii. The disease can occur in sporadic as well as in epidemic form, and is reported from many countries of the world including India. The source of infection is exogenous as the organism exists in the environment as saprobe. The exact route of infection is not clearly established. However, accidental inoculation of organism into the skin through wound or traumatic injury may result in cutaneous infection. In dairy animals, trauma to teats may predispose to mastitis. In humans, Prototheca mostly cause cutaneous infections, and olecranon bursitis with repeated traumatic inoculation. However, in immunosuppressed individuals, it can disseminate to viscera causing life threatening sepsis. Cholestatic jaundice and hepatitis are the typical clinical presentation of systemic protothecosis. Direct detection of pathogen in clinical specimens, and its isolation in pure and luxuriant form still remains the main stay of confirming the diagnosis of disease. There are evidences to believe that saprobic environment may serve as source of infection to man and animal. Immediate attention to skin injury, prompt chemotherapy in immunocompromised patient, avoiding contact with stagnant water, good animal husbandry practices, and hygienic methods of milking will certainly reduce the prevalence of disease in humans and animals. It is recommended that ‘Narayan” stain should be widely employed in Public Health and Microbiology laboratories to study the morphology of Prototheca which are attributed in various clinical disorders of humans and animals. Further studies on the chemotherapy and epidemiology of protothecosis seem imperative to control this emerging algal disease.
Association of Prototheca species and protothecosis in man and animals
rototheca is an aerobic, achlorophilic and unicellular organism with ovoid shape; it is often confused with yeasts. Prototheca cells are fairly common in a variety of enviro- ments such as sewage, freshwater, soil, rotting leaves, faeces, skin and various mammals (deer, cat, dog, cattle and humans). Prototheca species are widespread in housing areas, pens and pastures used by dairy cattle and can cause mastitis in dairy cattle. Protothecosis is an uncommon infection of humans and animals. Most infections are clinical and remain as chronic infections. Five species of Prototheca have been identified: P. moriformas, P. stagnora, P. ulmea, P. wickerhamii, P. zopfii; only the last two of these cause infection in humans and animals. Little is known about the ecology of Prototheca. Failure to isolate Prototheca spp. may be explained by the fact that they are readly over-grown by bacteria and fungi when culture is attemped from contaminated sources, as well as the fact that they superficially resemble yeasts. For this reason a specific culture media has been developed for Prototheca spp.
Phenotypic Characteristics of Prototheca Species Occurring in Humans and Animals
Medical Mycology Journal, 2022
The genus Prototheca consists of achlorophyllic algae that are ubiquitous in the environment and also occur in animal intestines; occasionally, infections in humans and animals are observed. In this study, we conducted tests of assimilative abilities and thermotolerance in comparison with morphological characteristics of six opportunistic species (Prototheca blaschkeae, Prototheca bovis, Prototheca ciferrii, Prototheca cutis, Prototheca miyajii, and Prototheca wickerhamii) along with Prototheca paracutis. Five of the seven species could be differentiated by physiological characteristics, but P. wickerhamii and P. cutis had identical profiles. Of the cattle-associated species, only P. bovis was able to grow at 42°C. Both type strains of P. cutis and P. miyajii were most susceptible to ravuconazole compared with the other azoles.
Human Protothecosis: Case Report of a Rare Algal Infection
Journal of Dermatology Research, 2024
Protothecosis: is a rare disease caused by opportunistic algae infection of the genus Prototheca. An 84-year-old female patient has presented with an erythematous, infiltrated, papulopustular plaque with areas of central atrophy on the left forearm for the past 10 months. Histopathology revealed structures similar to morulae, corresponding to algae, and culture was positive for Prototheca spp. Itraconazole 200 mg/day was prescribed, resulting in improvement of cutaneous lesions. Protothecosis has a high potential for underreporting and misdiagnosis due to its rarity and clinical similarities with other dermatoses. The patient in this study presented a lesion in a typical area due to the ease of trauma and entry point, with a good therapeutic response to oral antifungal monotherapy.
Prototheca miyajii sp. nov., isolated from a patient with systemic protothecosis
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 2016
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 53848 T , 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) was distinctively larger than that of P. wickerhamii and other species of the genus Prototheca. In this study, molecular analysis showed that the exceptionally large SSU rDNA of IFM 53848 T contains four group I introns. The morphology of IFM 53848 T was indistinguishable from those of P. wickerhamii or P. cutis, and phylogenetic analyses, based on the sequences of the SSU rDNA exons and the D1/D2 region of the large subunit rDNA, indicated that IFM 53848 T was closely related to P. cutis. On the other hand, unlike P. cutis, IFM 53848 T failed to assimilate fructose or lysine and grew well at higher temperatures of up to 42 8C. In addition, the nucleotide sequence of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and the matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry profile of IFM 53848 T were clearly distinct from those of P. cutis. The results strongly suggest that IFM 53848 T represents a novel species, and so the seventh member of the genus Prototheca, which we have named Prototheca miyajii sp. nov. The unique characteristics of the strain may provide useful insights into the systematic taxonomy of the genus Prototheca. Abbreviations: ITS, internal transcribed spacer; MALDI-TOF, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for nucleotide sequences of the SSU rDNA, ITS and D1/D2 region of the LSU rDNA of strain IFM 53848 T are KP898383, KP898384 and KP898385, respectively. The accession numbers for the sequences of the corresponding regions of strain IFM 54820 are KP898386, KP898387 and KP898388, respectively. The accession number for the ITS sequence of P. cutis JCM 15793 T is KP898389.
Egyptian Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 2020
The environmental Prototheca algae under certain condition are responsible for protothecosis infection in animal and human. The detail pathology and pathogenesis of this type of infection was unclear. Light microscopic diagnosis of Prototheca spp. algae is difficult with the use of routine histologic H&E stains. The specific stainsof fungusas periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) or Gomori Methenamine silver (GMS) were used and these stainsare not enough for examination of algae. A new modified staining method wasprepared. The main chemical constituents were Chromotrope2R, Aniline blueand phosphotungestic acid. The new stain gives very sharp affinity for staining of intra and extra cellular of Prototheca spp.microalgae and sporangium in different stages of maturation. The new stain will help the pathologist tostudy the pathology and pathogenesis of this type of pathogenic algae and considered the first specific stain for algae in tissue section.
A case report of bloodstream infection by Prototheca zopfii: An emerging opportunistic pathogen
IP International journal of medical microbiology and tropical diseases/IP international journal of medical microbiology and tropical diseases, 2024
This case report describes the presentation, investigation, and diagnosis of algaemia (Prototheca algaemia) in an immunocompromised patient with hematological malignancy. A patient of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was admitted with febrile neutropenia after a few weeks of induction chemotherapy. During hospital stay, the patient developed severe body pain, loss of appetite and persistent fever after a week of recovery. Upon thorough investigation, the patient was found to have central line related bloodstream infection with an emerging opportunistic environmental pathogen of genus Prototheca species zopfii, sensitive to Amphotericin B, Fluconazole, Voriconazole, Micafungin and Caspofungin. Liposomal Amphotericin B, an antifungal treatment was prescribed, post-treatment blood cultures were negative. This is an Open Access (OA) journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttribFution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
IDCases
Prototheca species have been reported to cause infections in human. Typically, clinical symptoms of protothecosis include cutaneous infection, olecranon bursitis, tenosynovitis and disseminated systemic disease. We report a case of septic arthritis in which Prototheca zopfii was isolated from blood. Joint aspirate was also sent for cultures but did not yield any growth. No other organisms were isolated from this patient during his admission. The blood isolate was identified to species level via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. The patient improved with administration of intravenous itraconazole.
Protothecosis: agent characterization and pathogenesis
2011
The increasing incidence of rare mastitic pathogens has urged the implementation of fast and efficient diagnostic and control measurements. Prototheca algae are known to be associated with diseases in humans and animals. These algae are resistant and are widely distributed on variable environments. We report a preliminary study on the amplification and sequencing of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and almost complete plastid ribosomal RNA operons (16S rDNA, intergenic spacer [IGS] including two tRNAs, and partial 23S rDNA) of Prototheca strains recovered from bovine mastitis. Keywords Prototheca spp.; internal transcribed spacer (ITS); 16S rDNA; intergenic spacer (IGS) and Chlorella vulgaris (Chlo) with 16S universal primers. All PCR fragments have a size close to the expected size of about 1,500 bp. Lane EcoRI + HindIIImolecular weight standard,-C, negative control without DNA.