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 P. wickerhamii infection in an immunocompetent corneal transplant patient.
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Genotyping and drug susceptibility profiling of Prototheca sp. strains isolated from cases of protothecosis in dogs.
J Vet Intern Med
December 2024
Department of Medical Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Background: Protothecosis in dogs is a rare, yet emerging disease, distinguished by its often-aggressive clinical course and high fatality rate. Our study was conducted to enhance treatment protocols for affected dogs by better understanding the genetic diversity and drug resistance patterns of Prototheca species.
Objectives: To identify species and drug susceptibility profiles of an international collection of 28 Prototheca strains isolated from cases of protothecosis in dogs.
Phenotypic and molecular characterization of Prototheca wickerhamii from a Brazilian case of human systemic protothecosis.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
November 2024
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Article Synopsis
- The genus Prototheca consists of non-chlorophyll algae that can be harmful to mammals, particularly affecting immunocompromised individuals.
- Researchers studied a case of protothecosis in an HIV patient, identifying the organism as Prototheca wickerhamii through both phenotypic and molecular methods.
- This case marks the first reported instance of systemic human protothecosis in Brazil and emphasizes the need for new detection methods for pathogenic algae in medical settings.
Complete genome identified of clinical isolate .
J Med Microbiol
October 2024
Dermatology Hospital of Fuzhou, Fuzhou 350025, PR China.
is an opportunistic pathogen that can infect both humans and animals, of which () being the most significant pathogenic green algae. The incidence of human diseases caused by has been on the rise, yet there is a significant gap in genetic research pertaining to the pathophysiological aspects of these infections. The aim of this study is to present the whole genome data from the clinical isolate InPu-22_FZ strain and to understand its genomic characteristics through comparative genomic analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCombinatory effect of ALA-PDT and itraconazole in the treatment of cutaneous protothecosis.
Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther
October 2024
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, #107 Yanjiang West Rd., Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, China. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- Protothecosis, a rare subcutaneous infection caused by Prototheca wicherhamii, often goes misdiagnosed and lacks a standardized treatment; combined oral itraconazole and 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) has been explored for therapy.* -
- The study examined the effects of different ALA concentrations and light doses on inhibiting P. wickerhamii growth and utilized transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe cellular changes, confirming ALA-PDT disrupts the cell structure of the fungus.* -
- Treatment of a patient showed that the combined therapy was effective over a 9-week period, with ALA-PDT enhancing the effectiveness of itraconazole
Successful Treatment of Refractory Cutaneous Protothecosis With MAT2203, an Oral Lipid Nanocrystal Formulation of Amphotericin B.
Open Forum Infect Dis
August 2024
Fungal Pathogenesis Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Article Synopsis
- Cutaneous protothecosis is an uncommon infection that affects the skin and can spread systemically, requiring long-term treatment with medications that may have harmful side effects.
- The case study focuses on a patient whose skin infection did not respond to standard triazole treatment.
- The patient showed significant improvement after being treated with a new oral formulation of amphotericin B, which was effective without causing any toxicity.
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