''Prototheca zopfii'' is aerobic, unicellular, yeast-like, achlorophyllic (without chlorophyll) microalga.
Distribution
''Prototheca zopfii'' is opportunistic, environmental
pathogen
In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...
and ubiquitous in nature. This alga is mainly associated with wet areas and places with high
organic contents. It can be found in tanks, well water, teat-dip containers, and milking machines.
Genome
The genome of this organism's
mitochondrion
A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is use ...
and
plastid
The plastid (Greek: πλαστός; plastós: formed, molded – plural plastids) is a membrane-bound organelle found in the cells of plants, algae, and some other eukaryotic organisms. They are considered to be intracellular endosymbiotic cyanobac ...
were first sequenced in 2018.
[Severgnini M, Lazzari B, Capra E, Chessa S, Luini M, Bordoni R, Castiglioni B, Ricchi M, Cremonesi P (2018) Genome sequencing of Prototheca zopfii genotypes 1 and 2 provides evidence of a severe reduction in organellar genomes. Sci Rep 8(1):14637. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-32992-0.]
Reproduction
''Prototheca zopfii'' reproduce asexually by endosporulation.
Culture media
Sabouraud agar
Sabouraud agar or Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) is a type of agar growth medium containing peptones. It is used to cultivate dermatophytes and other types of fungi, and can also grow filamentous bacteria such as ''Nocardia''. It has utility for ...
is used as a cultural medium.
[Antimicrobial susceptibility of'' Prototheca zopfii'' isolated from bovine mastitis., Władysław Wawron, Mariola Bochniarz, Tomasz Piech, Jerzy Wysocki1, Marcin Kocik., Bull Vet Inst Pulawy 57, 485-488, 2013.DOI: 10.2478/bvip-2013-0084]
Differential diagnosis
Polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used to rapidly make millions to billions of copies (complete or partial) of a specific DNA sample, allowing scientists to take a very small sample of DNA and amplify it (or a part of it) ...
and
restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis are useful tool for rapid confirmative diagnosis.
[Molecular characterization of ''Prototheca ''strains isolated from bovine mastitis., A. Aouay , F. Coppée , S. Cloet , P. Cuvelier , A. Belayew , P.-E. Lagneau , C. Mullender ., Journal de Mycologie Médicale (2008) 18, 224—227.]
Pathogenicity
The species can infect man and animal, causing
mastitis
Mastitis is inflammation of the breast or udder, usually associated with breastfeeding. Symptoms typically include local pain and redness. There is often an associated fever and general soreness. Onset is typically fairly rapid and usually occurs ...
.
''P. zopfii'' can cause bovine clinical mastitis in high milk-yielding cows. Genotypes I and III, traditionally, are thought not to be involved in the pathogenicity of mastitis and to be pollutants of milk, whereas genotype II is believed the main cause of mastitis.
However, in 2017, three cases of human protothecosis due to ''P. zopfii'' genotype I have been reported in China.
[Molecular Characterization of ''Prototheca'' strains isolated in China revealed the first cases of protothecosis associated with Prototheca zopfii genotype 1., N. Hirose, Z. Hua, Y. Kato, Q. Zhang, R. Li, K. Nishimura, M. Masuda ., Medical Mycology (2017) doi: 10.1093/mmy/myx039.]
Outbreaks
Bovine mastitis outbreaks by ''P. zopfii'' is a global problem. It is reported from Europe, Asia, North America, and South America.
[Vargas, A.C.., Lazzari, A., Santurio,J.M.,Alves,S.H., Ferreira,G.,and Kreutz.,L.C.(1998). Mycopathologia, 142:135-137]
Antimicrobial therapy
''Prototheca zopfii'' is less susceptible or completely resistant to clotrimazole, fluconazole, econazole, flucytosine, cefoperazone, cephalexin, enrofloxacin, lincomycin, oxytetracycline, miconazole, colistin, a combination of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, enrofloxacin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, penicillin, lincomycin, and novobiocin, whereas drugs such as nystatin, ketoconazole, and amphotericin B are effective against algae isolated from milk of mastitis-affected cows.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2113774
Chlorellaceae