The only plants infectious for mammals, green algae from the genus Prototheca, are often overseen or mistaken for yeast in clinical diagnosis. To improve this diagnostical gap, a method was developed for fast and reliable identification of Prototheca. A collection of all currently recognized Prototheca species, most represented by several strains, were submitted to a simple extraction by 70% fo...

Cutaneous protothecosis is a rare infection caused by achlorophyllic algae of the genus Prototheca. The lesions usually occur on exposed areas, related with trauma, in immunocompromised patients. The most common clinical presentation is a vesicobullous and ulcerative lesion with pustules and scabs, simulating bacterial, fungal or herpetic infections or eczema. The diagnosis is determined by age...

One of the current issues in the area of dairy cattle health is the presence of the micro-alga Prototheca. This alga is significant because it causes mastitis problems that can lead to large economic losses due to reduction in the quality and quantity of milk produced and the slaughter of infected animals, amongst other losses. Prototheca is a heterotrophic unicellular alga, phylogenetically co...

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 st...

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...

BACKGROUND 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 in...

Because algae have become more accepted as sources of human nutrition, phylogenetic analysis can help resolve the taxonomy of taxa that have not been well studied. This can help establish algal evolutionary relationships. Here, we compare Auxenochlorella protothecoides and 23 strains of Prototheca based on their complete 16S and partial 23S plastid rDNA sequences along with nutrient utilization...

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. ...