Identify the Different Forms of Protozoan Parasites

Study Notes

Amastigotes are roundish to oval and measure 5 by 3 μm in size
Promastigotes are 9 to 15 μm in length with a long slender body and a single free flagellum
Epimastigotes are wider than promastigotes, measuring approximately 9 to 15 μm in length, with an undulating membrane forming into a free flagellum at the anterior end
Trypomastigotes measure 12 to 35 μm long by 2 to 4 μm wide and may assume the shape of the letters C, S or U in stained blood films
Trypomastigotes have a posteriorly located kinetoplast, a full body length undulating membrane, and a single large nucleus located anterior to the kinetoplast
Amastigotes contain a nucleus, a basal body structure called a blepharoplast, and a small parabasal body
The dotlike blepharoplast gives rise to and is attached to an axoneme in amastigotes
The large single nucleus in promastigotes is located in or near the center of the long slender body, and the kinetoplast is located in the anterior end of the organism
The large single nucleus in epimastigotes is located in the posterior end of the organism, and the kinetoplast is located anterior to the nucleus
Kinetoplast is an umbrella term often used to refer to the blepharoplast and small parabasal body in amastigotes.