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Anatomy and physiology of the protozoa

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Parasitic Protozoa

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Abstract

The protozoa are structurally equivalent to a single metazoan cell: basically, a mass of cytoplasm bounded by some kind of limiting membrane and containing one or more nuclei. The cytoplasm may contain most, if not all, of the organelles found in metazoan cells, including mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, Golgi apparatus, bodies resembling lysosomes, fibrils and microtubules of various kinds, centrioles, flagella and cilia (Fig. 2.1). Not all protozoa, of course, possess all these organelles. Other structures, apparently exclusive to protozoa, are sometimes present. These are of fewer kinds; examples include the trichocysts of Paramecium (a free-living ciliate), various skeletal structures, and, perhaps, the contractile vacuoles. Some of these organelles will now be considered in a little more detail.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, USA

    J. P. Kreier

  2. The Culture Centre of Algae and Protozoa, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Cambridge, England

    J. R. Baker

Authors
  1. J. P. Kreier
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  2. J. R. Baker
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© 1987 J. P. Kreier & J. R. Baker

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Kreier, J.P., Baker, J.R. (1987). Anatomy and physiology of the protozoa. In: Parasitic Protozoa. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6847-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6847-2_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-04-591022-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-6847-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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