title: Prototheca wickerhamii algaemia: an emerging infection in solid organ transplant recipients.
abstract: Prototheca wickerhamii is an alga that rarely causes human disease but has been reported increasingly among immunocompromised individuals. We report a fatal case of P. wickerhamii in a renal transplant recipient who presented with a cutaneous lesion that led to disseminated disease despite treatment with voriconazole. We reviewed previous cases of protothecosis involving solid organ transplant recipients in the literature and discussed the value of newer microbiology platforms, i.e., matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), to achieve early diagnosis and impact outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Bandaranayake
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paniz Mondolfi
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Peaper
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Malinis
mesh_terms: D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007239:Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D011525:Prototheca / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: MALDI-TOF; Prototheca wickerhamii; algaemia; solid organ transplant