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Prototheca cutis sp. nov., a newly discovered pathogen of protothecosis isolated from inflamed human skin

¹ Teikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology;
² Asahi General Hospital

³ E-mail: makimura{at}main.teikyo-u.ac.jp

A strain of a novel pathogenic achlorophyllic alga belonging to the genus Prototheca was isolated from the inflamed skin of a patient with protothecosis in a Japanese hospital. The pathogen was detected and isolated in biopsy specimens by histopathology and culture-based examination. Analyses of the nuclear 18S rDNA and 26S rDNA D1/D2 domain sequences and chemotaxonomic studies indicated that this strain represents a new species with a close phylogenetic relationship to Prototheca wickerhamii and Auxenochlorella protothecoides. This strain grew well at 28-30 °C, showed slow and weak growth at 37 °C, and no growth at 40 °C. This strain grew in vitamin-free medium and assimilated acetate (pH 5.1), L-arabinose and soluble starch as a carbon source. The taxonomic description of Prototheca cutis sp. nov. is proposed (type strain JCM 15793^T=CBS 11262^T=DSMZ 22084^T) as a pathogen of dermatitis.