THE DIVERSE WORLD OF PROTISTS
PROTISTS
• First Eukaryotes to evolve ~ 1.5 Billion years ago
• Unicellular and multicellular
• Can live in colonies
• Live any where there is water – lakes, oceans, damp soil, sand, leaf litter
CLASSIFICATION
• Kingdom – Protists
• Subkingdom – Protozoa
• Protozoaproto = firstzoa = animalSingle celled organismsContain organelles to carry specific functions
CLASSIFICATION
• Comprised of seven phylumPhylum Sarcomastigophora
• Sarko = fleshy
• Mastigo = whip
Phylum CiliophoraPhylum Apicomplexa
• Apex = point
• Com = together
HOMEOSTASIS• Structure
Pellicle – rigid microtubules, maintains shape Ectoplasm – outside cytoplasm Endoplasm – inside cytoplasm
• Water Balance Water enters protozoa through osmosis Contractile vacuole – maintains water and
solute balance
REPRODUCTION
• Asexual reproduction Budding – pinching off of cell produces
smaller daughter cell Binary fission – mitosis produces two identical
offspring Multiple Fission (schizogony) – cell division
that produces multiple cells
MOVEMENT• Pseudopodia
Pseudo – false Pod – foot Extension of cytoplasm
• Cilia Hairlike protein fibers Movement and attachment
• Flagella Thin protein whip Rotates or whips back and forth
HOMEOSTASIS
• Nutrition Cytopharynx – mouth Food vacuoles – digestion and transport
of food Egestion vacuoles - contain digested
material Ctyopyge – release waste by exocytosis
LIFESTYLES
• Symbiosis – one organism lives in close association with another organism Parasitism – live in or on a host that is usually
harmed Commensalism – one member benefits and
host is not harmed Mutualism – both species benefit
PHYLUM SARCOMASTIGOPHORA
• Unicellular or lives in colonies
• Flagella and/or pseudopodia
• Autotrophic, saprozoic, heterotrophic
• One nucleus
• Sexual reproduction
PHYLUM SARCOMASTIGOPHORA
• Class Phytomastigophorea– Euglena
• Class Zoomastigophorea– Trypanosoma– Trichomonas– Giardia– Leishmania
• Amoeba
African Trypanosomiasis
• Commonly called African Sleeping Sickness
• Caused by protozoan Trypanosoma brucei
• Vector - seven species of Tsetse Fly
African Sleeping SicknessLife Cycle
• Fly bites infected mammal and ingests the parasites
• Protozoan multiply and develop in fly• Fly bites human and passes on parasites• Trypanosoma infect blood and spinal
fluid• Also contract through maternal fluids,
blood transfusion, organ transplant
African Sleeping Sickness
• Infects 20,000 – 25,000 annually
• Causes 55,000 deaths each year
• Cattle loses amount to $2.7 billion a year
• No vaccine or drug for prevention
• Limited drugs for treatment
African Sleeping SicknessControl
• Vector control through insecticides
• Protection against disease– Avoid areas of high infection– Wear thick, long-sleeved clothing– Use bed nets– Avoid dust and bushes
TRICHOMONIASIS
• STD caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis
• Effects 5 million Americans every year
• Infection frequently has no symptoms
TRICHOMONIASIS
• Infects vagina of woman and urethra (urine canal) in men
• Women – frothy yellow-green discharge with strong odor
• Men – mild discharge, burning during urination
• Can be treated with antibiotics (95% cure rate)
GIARDIA
• Giardia lamblia infects the small intestine
• Become cysts that are excreted
• Transmitted by contaminated food and water
Trichonympha Drawing
Amoebic Dysentary
• Caused by Entamoeba histolytica
• Infection of the intestine
• Species spread through the blood to infect the liver, lungs and brain
• Parasites found in contaminated food or drink
• Mostly found in tropical regions
DIATOMS
PHYLUM CILIOPHORA
• Cilia for locomotion
• Rigid pellicle and fixed shape
• Distinct cytosome (mouth)
• Dimorphic nuclei– Macronucleus for controlling cell functions– Micronucleus for cell division
PHYLUM APICOMPLEXA
• Parasitic with an apical complex to penetrate host cells
• One nucleus• Cilia and flagella lacking except in
certain reproductive stages• Life cycle is asexual (schizogony,
sporogony) and sexual (gametogony) phases
This is a thin film from a 27 year old female backpacker, with a recent history of trekking through Northern Thailand and high fever.
1. Disease caused from ingesting parasite Toxoplasma gondii.
2. Parasite found throughout world
3. Most people who are infected have few symptoms due to immune system
TOXOPLASMOSIS
1. Accidental ingest of cat feces
2. Consuming partially cooked meat (pork, lamb, venison)
3. Contaminated water with Toxoplasma
4. Dirty cooking utensils
5. Organ transplant or blood transfusion
CONTRACTING TOXOPLASMOSIS
1. Flu like
2. Swollen glands
3. Muscle aches
4. Severe symptoms = damage to brain,eyes, other organs
TOXOPLASMOSIS
SYMPTOMS
SLIME MOLD