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
• Protozoa
proto = first
zoa = animal
Single celled organisms
Contain organelles to carry specific functions
 CLASSIFICATION
• Comprised of seven phylum
Phylum Sarcomastigophora
• Sarko = fleshy
• Mastigo = whip
Phylum Ciliophora
Phylum 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
 Euglena Anatomy

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EUGLENOID
 African Trypanosomiasis
• Commonly called African Sleeping
Sickness
• Caused by protozoan Trypanosoma
brucei
• Vector - seven species of Tsetse Fly
 African Sleeping Sickness
Life 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
Tsetse Fly – Vector for African Sleeping
Sickness
•

Trypanosoma
 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
Trypanosoma cruzi in blood smears
 African Sleeping Sickness
Control
• 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)
Trichomoniasis - Parasite
 GIARDIA
• Giardia lamblia infects the small intestine
• Become cysts that are excreted
• Transmitted by contaminated food and
water
Diarrhea infected with Giardia
 TRICHONYMPHA –
PROTIST FOUND IN TERMITES
Trichonympha Drawing
 Trichonympha
Hypermastigid flagellates – large
number of flagella
 SUBPHYLUM SARCODINA
• Move with pseudopod
• Naked or with shell
• Most free living
Amoeba Anatomy
 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
GREEN ALGAE
RED ALGAE
BROWN ALGAE
DIATOMS
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
CILIOPHORA
• Paramecium
Paramecium Anatomy
 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
 PHYLUM
APICOMPLEXA

• Plasmodium – cause of malaria

• Toxoplasma - Toxoplasmosis
This is a thin film from a 27 year old female backpacker,
with a recent history of trekking through Northern
Thailand and high fever.
 TOXOPLASMOSIS
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
 CONTRACTING
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
 TOXOPLASMOSIS
SYMPTOMS
1. Flu like
2. Swollen glands
3. Muscle aches
4. Severe symptoms = damage to
brain,eyes, other organs
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasm gondii in lung material
SLIME MOLD