Prototheca is a colorless algae commonly found in manure, soil and water. The dog was subsequently correctly diagnosed with protothecosis based on ocular and paw pad histopathology and in vitro culture of prototheca wickerhamii from paw pad tissue. The study describes the development of a simple and rapid tool to identify yeast. Prototheca wickerhamii is a yeastlike organism that resembles the green alga chlorella. Chronic eosinophilic meningoencephalitis by prototheca. Almost all prototheca isolates from bovine milk in europe and asia belong to p. Prototheca wickerhamii infection of a corneal graft. The organisms were grown in sabouraud dextrose broth sdb for 7 days at 25 con a rotary shaker 160 rpm, then killed with 1. The isolate from a canine disseminated protothecosis was identified to be prototheca wickerhamii by its morphological and biochemical characteristics. Prototheca definition of prototheca by medical dictionary. Prototheca was first linked to bovine mastitis in 1952, but was not considered a significant pathogen until relatively recently. It is widely present in the environment and is a rare cause of infection in humans protothecosis and most commonly presents as nodules of the skin. Phenotypic characterization of mastitic prototheca spp.
Feb 12, 2019 infection is usually caused by p wickerhamii. The isolate was grouped into a cluster identical to the type strain of p. Prototheca wickerhamii, an environmental alga, rarely causes human infections. Although canine and bovine protothecosis have been reported more widely, infections in humans are rare, particularly in patients with an intact immune system.
Considering the increasing prevalence of bovine mastitis due to prototheca species, individual cow milk samples were analyzed using microbiological examination and biomolecular assay. The first documented case of algal meningitis due to prototheca wickerhamii is reported in a patient with aids. Most of these cases have been caused by prototheca wickerhamii, although prototheca zopfi has been recovered from 2 patients. Currently, six species are included in the genus prototheca. Species of the genus prototheca are achlorophyllous algae and ubiquitous in nature, and so far, six species have been listed in this genus. If protothecal mastitis is suspected, careful culture and identification to confirm the presence of prototheca is. The patient cat was generally in good condition without skin problems. It has been cultured from a wide variety of aqueous sources, including lakes, streams, ponds, and even tap water. Prototheca wickerhamii has the cycloartenolergosterol. The two most common species are prototheca wickerhamii and prototheca zopfii. Prototheca wickerhamii was isolated from all 6 masses after they were surgically nucleated. Mammary glands from cows with protothecal mastitis were examined by light and electron microscopy at 6, 20, and i 80 days after infection. Localized infection of the skin is most common and typically results from primary inoculation through a wound or abrasion.
Phagocytosis and algicidal activity of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils against prototheca wickerhamii. Electron micrographs of prototheca show a doublelayered cell wall with outer thinner and inner thicker portions 12. Prototheca wickerhamii, prototheca zopfii, prototheca blaschkeae, prototheca cutis, prototheca stagnora and prototheca ulmea. Prototheca wickerhamii in a dog with cutaneous, ocular and. Protothecosis is a potential zoonotic disease associated with bovine mastitis which can be transmitted to humans through contaminated milk.
So far, there are six recognized species in the genus, namely. In immunocompromised individuals, infection with prototheca can become widespread. Algae are generally noninfectious agents in mammals, with few known pathogenic algae. Biotype ii strains of the green alga prototheca zopfii can be involved, most often resulting in chronic mastitis of difficult treatment associated with reduced milk production. Nov 21, 2008 prototheca have been isolated from environmental sites on dairies that have cows infected with prototheca and dairies that do not have mastitis caused by prototheca. The initial csf culture yielded only cryptococcus neoformans. This type of infection is rare, but the number of reported cases is increasing worldwide. The cat was recovered two months after intervention with no recurrence of skin.
Auxenochlorella protothecoides and prototheca wickerhamii. Prototheca wickerhamii olecranon bursitis successfully treated with adjunctive systemic itraconazole. This case illustrated shows the manifestation of this opportunistic microorganism in an immunosuppressed patient. Publication dscp prototheca spp a practical summary for. Bovine mastitis associated with prototheca blaschkeae. Prototheca, a colourless algae, can be hard to detect. Aspects related to health requirements for milk production, clinical and. Prototheca wickerhamii cutaneous and systemic infections article pdf available in the american journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 914. The first case of prototheca infection was reported in cattle with mastitis in 1952. Prototheca species have also been cultured from animal feces, soil, and a variety of other. Life cycle and variation of prototheca wickerhamii science. Pdf protothecosis is an emerging environmental algal disease of humans, and animals caused by prototheca.
High bulk tank bacteria counts may tip you off that this intruder prototheca is lurking around your cows. Molecular characterization of prototheca strains isolated in. Serologic survey of rotavirus, norwalk agent and prototheca. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. These organisms require carbon in order to thrive, and obtain this nutrient through consumption of organic substrates. Prototheca, yeast, and bacillus as a cause of mastitis. All chlorella species except chlorella 0 2001 elsevier science inc.
An invisible intruder has been threatening the udder health of herds on some ontario dairy farms. Most cases reported have a suppressed immune system from drugs or disease. The patient was successfully treated with ketoconazole. A twoyearold intact female collie presented with a tentative diagnosis of systemic blastomycosis based on compatible clinical signs and history and a positive urine blastomyces antigen enzyme immunoassay. Among previous meningitis cases, the presence of p. Wound infection by prototheca wickerhamii, a saprophytic alga. Prototheca zopfii is most common, but prototheca wickerhamii and prototheca trispora. Pdf appearance of colonies of prototheca on chromagar. The occurrence of protothecosis can be local or disseminated and acute or chronic, with the latter being more common. Pdf a simple new test to differentiate prototheca wickerhamii from prototheca zopfii by determining susceptibility to.
Analysis for prototheca antibody titres was essentially negative. Diseases have been classified as i cutaneous lesions, ii olecranon bursitis, or. Biopsy of a wound infection of the palmar fascia in a young diabetic woman revealed characteristic periodic acidschiffpositive prototheca species cells with a rosette configuration and internal septation. We present a case of fatal infection in a 78yearold cardiac transplant recipient and discuss pitfalls in the clinical and laboratory diagnoses.
Prototheca wickerhamii can be found in high density in all domestic and municipal sewage, where it is 10 times more common than other prototheca spp. Prototheca is also believed to be responsible for ulcerative dermatitis in the platypus. Pdf simple test for rapid differentiation of prototheca wickerhamii. Prototheca wickerhamii tubaki and soneda, 1959 morphology. Protothecosis by prototheca wickerhamii in goats article pdf available in mycoses 544. Phair jp, williams je, bassaris hp, zeiss cr, morlock ba. Bilateral choroiditis from prototheca wickerhamii algaemia. Faecal shedding of these algae ceased when the experimental animals started to receive prototheca free fodder 45. An isolate of prototheca wickerhamii from systemic canine. Pdf prototheca wickerhamii cutaneous and systemic infections. The first case of feline prototheca wickerhamii infection. Prototheca wickerhamii rarely causes systemic infection in humans but when it occurs, there are coexisting comorbidities. Epidemiological analysis of worldwide bovine, canine and.
Note cells at various stages of development and mothercells containing daughtercells. Resistance of prototheca to digestive processes in the gastrointestinal tract is attributed to the sporopollenin content of the. Multiple metabolic roles for the nonphotosynthetic plastid. Growth was inhibited by indolyl3acetic acid, indolyl3butyric acid and indolyl3propionic acid at 400. Protothecosis definition of protothecosis by medical dictionary. Summary prototheca wickerhamii was treated in vitro with 11 different herbicides and plant hormones. Protothecosis is a disease found in dogs, cats, cattle, and humans caused by a type of green alga known as prototheca that lacks chlorophyll. Prototheca species are achlorophyllous algae with phylogenetic affinities to the genus chlorella.
Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. This page was last edited on 28 january 2012, at 22. From 3,856 ests, we found that 71 unique sequences 235 ests correspond to different nucleusencoded putatively plastidtargeted polypeptides. This organism was identified by morphological features and microbiological tests. Prototheca wickerhamii was cultured repeatedly from the wound drainage and the. Prototheca zopfii is most common, but prototheca wickerhamii and. Bovine mastitis is an important and complex disease responsible for economic losses in the dairy industry. Prototheca species are generally considered to be achlorophyllic algae and are ubiquitous in nature. This indicates that prototheca are widely dispersed in the environment of dairy cows on both dairies with and without prototheca problems. All the species within this genus, even though classified as green algae, have forfeited their photosynthetic ability and have switched to. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 1. Prototheca is classified among the lower algae, the chlorophyceae, and belong to the same family as the green algae chlorella. University of minnesota college of veterinary medicine.
Prototheca zopfii genotype 2 disseminated infection in a dog with neurological signsinfeccao por prototheca zopfii genotipo 2 disseminada em um cao com sinais neurologicos. Pdf protothecosis by prototheca wickerhamii in goats. Prototheca was isolated for 1 month in a 24yearold male patient and for 6 years in a 20yearold asymptomatic male patient with no underlying diseases, while it was detected once in a 25yearold female patient with. Jun 29, 2017 prototheca wickerhamii rarely causes systemic infection in humans but when it occurs, there are coexisting comorbidities.
One of the most important forms of the occurrence of protothecosis is bovine. Prototheca wickerhamii was established by tubaki and soneda 5 to 1501 life cycle and variation of prototheca wickerhamii abstract. The definite diagnosis usually depends on morphological identification of the organisms in wet slide preparations of cultures andor direct identification in tissue specimens. Members of the colorless and unicellular green algae genus prototheca are the only known plants that cause infections in humans and animals. Prototheca mastitis could be transmitted from cow to cow during milking time 3,11 with severe economic losses 12,16,23,36,45. It and its close relative helicosporidium are unusual in that they are actually green algae that have become parasites. Prototheca wickerhamii is a ubiquitous green alga that does not have chlorophyll.
Other reservoirs include bovine and porcine feces, barns, and holding pens. A strain of the genus prototheca, ifm 53848t, was isolated in japan from a patient with systemic protothecosis and had been. Prototheca wickerhamii, prototheca zopfii, prototheca blaschkeae, prototheca cutis, prototheca ulema, and. Prototheca is a genus of algae in the family chlorellaceae. We present a case of prototheca wickerhamii cutaneous and systemic infections in an 85yearold male with adrenal insufficiency. Prototheca species are achlorophyllous algae ubiquitous in nature.
Prototheca cells were found after excision biopsy of one of the nodules located on the left earflap. The presence of prototheca algae in faeces of animals was related to consumption of contaminated feed. Prototheca wickerhamii is an alga that rarely causes human disease but has been reported increasingly among immunocompromised individuals. The patient was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin b with complete resolution of the lesions. Multiple metabolic roles for the nonphotosynthetic plastid of. Richard national animal disease center, united states department of agriculture, ames, iowa abstract.
Prototheca wickerhamii is a yeastlike organism that resembles the goreen alga chlorella. From these sources they may contaminate aquatic systems and food and subsequently be eaten by man and animals and then excreted, completing the cycle. Full text get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 625k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Wound infection by prototheca wickerhamii, a saprophytic. Oct 01, 2014 prototheca wickerhamii is an achlorophyllic alga and is ubiquitous in nature, which can cause human infections. Prototheca wickerhamii an overview sciencedirect topics. Prototheca species have also been implicated in disseminated disease in dogs, involving such organs. Susceptibility and features of the ultrastructure of prototheca zopfii. Prototheca organisms may eventually spread to the lymph glands from these subcutaneous lesions. The species most often associated with bovine mastitis are p. Prototheca wickerhamii cutaneous and systemic infections. Nuclear division in coordination with cytoplasmic cleavage gives rise to uninucleate cytoplasmic segments, each of which acquires a delicate cell wall and develops into an autospore. Prototheca is an achlorophylic nonphotosynthetic algae, globally ubiquitous, and readily isolated from rivers, lakes, ponds, and soil.