title: Cutaneous protothecosis following a tape-stripping injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prototheca species are ubiquitous achlorophyllic algae that can, in rare instances, manifest as cutaneous infection in humans at sites of traumatic inoculation into the skin.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We report a 77-year-old man who developed cutaneous protothecosis at the site of an iatrogenic tape-stripping type injury. The diagnosis was confirmed by histologic examination and tissue culture. The patient responded completely to a 17-week course of oral fluconazole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cutaneous protothecosis can present clinically as nonspecific indolent inflammatory plaques that require skin biopsy for definitive diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Dermatology and Skin Science and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, CIHT Skin Research Training Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Humphrey
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinka
authors.forename: Harvey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lui
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001458:Bandages / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001706:Biopsy; D002610:Cheek / Q000293:injuries*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011525:Prototheca / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*