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.

Keywords: MALDI-TOF; Prototheca wickerhamii; algaemia; solid organ transplant.