9 Questions
Where does Protozoa fit into the life spectrum?
Protista
What are the basic defining characteristics of protozoa?
Unicellular, Eukaryotes, Motile
Match the protozoan grouping with the locomotion type:
Flagellates = Flagellated movement Amoebae = Pseudopodal movement Sporozoa = Non-motile Ciliates = Ciliary movement
Protozoa multiply quickly in tissues causing severe acute __________.
diseases
Ciliates possess two nuclei: a macronucleus for sexual reproduction and a micronucleus for basic cellular functions.
True
Which protozoan group contains phytoflagellates and zooflagellates?
Flagellates
What is the primary mode of transmission for Trypanosoma brucei?
Insect-vector
Which disease is caused by Plasmodium spp. transmitted through insect-vectors?
Malaria
Protozoa can cause diseases like paralytic shellfish poisoning and massive fish kills.
True
Study Notes
Overview of Protozoa
- Protists, also called protozoa, represent a tremendous phylogenetic diversity with many major phylogenetic groupings.
- Basic defining characteristics of protozoa: • Unicellular • Eukaryotes • Motile
Grouping of Protozoa
- Based on locomotion: • Flagellates • Ciliates • Sporozoa • Amoebae
Amoebae
- Rhizopods (lobopodia, filopodia) and Actinopods (axopodia)
- Free-living bactivores and commensals/parasites
- Entamoeba histolytica (amoebic dysentery): • Fecal-Oral transmission • Feeding trophozoite and exogenous cyst • Histolysis (soft tissue abscesses)
Flagellates
- Phytoflagellates (with chloroplasts) and Zooflagellates (without chloroplasts)
- (Free-living) and (commensals/parasites)
- Giardia spp. (diarrhea): • Fecal-Oral transmission • Feeding trophozoite and exogenous cysts • Belong to Diplomonads class
- Trypanosoma brucei (sleeping sickness): • Transmission: Insect-vector (Tsetse fly) • Belong to Kinetoplastids class • Named for the presence of kinetoplast
Dinoflagellates
- Diverse marine and freshwater phototrophic organisms
- Associated with fish kills and human poisoning
- Pfiesteria piscicida is a genus of toxic dinoflagellate responsible for massive fish kills
Ciliates
- Possess cilia at some stage of their life
- Use cilia for motility and to obtain food
- Ciliates have two nuclei: • Macronucleus: regulates basic cellular functions (growth and feeding) • Micronucleus: sexual reproduction
- Commensal or animal parasites
- Balantidium coli (diarrhea): • Fecal-Oral transmission • Feeding trophozoite and exogenous cyst • Colonic ulceration
Sporozoa
- Apicomplexans: Obligate parasites of animals
- Cause severe diseases: • Malaria - Plasmodium spp. • Toxoplasmosis - Toxoplasma • Coccidiosis - Eimeria
- Contain apicoplasts: degenerate chloroplasts that lack pigments and phototrophic capacity
- Plasmodium spp. (malaria): • Transmission: Insect-vector • Schizonts/gamonts and ookinetes/sporozoites • Cerebral haemozoin (pigment) deposits
Tissue Coccidia (Lesions)
- Prey-predator transmission
- Tissue cysts in intermediate host and oocysts in definitive host
- Toxoplasma - cats
- Neospora - dogs
- Sarcocystis - mixed
- Abortifacient and tissue cysts in human brain
Enteric Coccidia (Diarrhea)
- Fecal-Oral transmission
- Endogenous schizonts and exogenous cyst
- Eimeria - herbivores
- Isospora - carnivores
- Cryptosporidium - mixed
- Mucosal pathology diarrhea
Learn where Protozoa fits into the life spectrum and explore its relationships with other microorganisms like Stramenopiles, Oomycetes, and Alveolates. Understand the classification and characteristics of Protozoa.
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