| Prototheca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prototheca wickerhamii, withGram stain | |
Scientific classification | |
| Clade: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Trebouxiophyceae |
| Order: | Chlorellales |
| Family: | Chlorellaceae |
| Genus: | Prototheca Krüger, 1894[1] |
| Species[2] | |
Prototheca is agenus ofalgae in the familyChlorellaceae.[3] While this genus is a member of thegreen algae, allPrototheca no longer havechloroplasts and therefore theirphotosynthetic ability. Some species can causeprotothecosis in humans and variousvertebrates.
From theGreekproto- (first) +thēkē (sheath),Prototheca is a genus of variably shaped spherical cells of achloric algae in the familyChlorellaceae.Wilhelm Krüger, aGerman expert in plant physiology and sugar production, reportedPrototheca microorganisms in 1894, shortly after spending 7 years inJava studying sugarcane. He isolatedPrototheca species from the sap of 3 tree species. Krüger named these organisms asP. moriformis andP. zopfii, the second name as a tribute toFriedrich Wilhelm Zopf, a renowned botanist, mycologist, and lichenologist.[4]
Prototheca consists of microscopic, single cells, which may sometimes be clustered to form irregular packets. The cell is generally spherical, ellipsoidal or reniform in shape, with a thin and delicatecell wall.Chloroplasts are absent.[5]
With the lack ofchloroplasts andphotosynthetic ability,Prototheca growheterotrophically and some exhibitparasitism. Other groups of photosynthetic organisms have undergone similar functional losses in photosynthetic ability and shifted to a parasitic lifestyle, such as inapicomplexans.
AlthoughPrototheca lack chloroplasts, they were recognized early on as closely related to otherChlorellaceae based on other morphological and physiological traits similar to the group.[6][7]Phylogenetics confirm thatPrototheca species are closely related toChlorella and other genera, although it is not yet clear whetherPrototheca is amonophyletic group.[8]
Some species in the genusPrototheca are known to causeprotothecosis, one of the few researched diseases caused by algae, which are categorized asAlgaemia.P. wickerhamii is the main causing agent of protothecosis in humans, and was first identified as such in 1964. A strain ofP. bovis (formerly classified underP. zopfii) is known to cause this disease in cattle, dogs, buffalo, and horses.[9]
Symptoms include: Cutaneous lesions, Olecranon bursitis.
Citing public domain text from the CDC.
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