Pulmonary Protothecosis in a Pediatric Liver Transplant Patient

J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2014 Sep;3(3):e31-4. doi: 10.1093/jpids/pit034. Epub 2013 Jul 3.

Abstract

Immunocompromised patients are susceptible to infections from common and unusual microorganisms. Protothecosis is seldom suspected on clinical grounds, yet it is readily diagnosed once detected in the laboratory. We report the first pediatric liver transplant recipient with pulmonary protothecosis, detected during an episode of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, and we conducted a review of the available literature.

Keywords: algae; amphotericin B; liver transplant; opportunistic infection; protothecosis.