COLLEGE OF

NURSING AND
MIDWIFERY
COURSE: MICROBIOLOGY ( RM
118)

TOPIC: PROTOZOA

STUDENT LECTURE: MUSUMALI K

HAPPY
GENERAL OBJECTIVES

 At the end of the lecture/discussion, the

students should have an understanding and
knowledge on Protozoa’s.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

 At the end of the lecture/discussion the students must

be able to;
• Define the terms.
• Description of the terms.
• Describe the structure of a protozoa.
• State the reproduction of a protozoa.
• Discuss the classification of a protozoa.
INTRODUCTION
The protozoa is a singled celled eukaryote. This
means that they are single celled organisms that
have a nuclei as well as a number of other
important organelles within the cytoplasm and
enclosed by a membrane. They exist as free-living
organism or as parasites. This makes protozoa a
diverse group of unicellular organisms, varying in
shape and size.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TERMS.

• Trophozoite: is the vegetative mobile stage of

protozoa which feeds, multiplies and forms
colonies in the host.
• Cyst: is a non-motile resisting protected by a
cyst wall. Protozoa may be readily transmitted to
a new host by ingestion of the mature cyst.
• Encystation: is the transformation of a
Trophozoite to a cyst forming a cyst wall.
Description Of The Terms. Cont’

• Karyosome: A mass of chromatin with the nucleus

like the nucleolus in the metazoan.
• Chromatin: the part of the nucleus which readily stain
due to its staining affinity.
• Chromatoid body: A reflextile extra nuclear body
composed of stained like chromatin contained in the
cytoplasm.
Description Of The Terms. Cont’
• Flagella: A long hair like process attached to a
protozoa and it is used for locomotion.
• Blepharoplasty: A chromatic dot from which flagella
arises and functions as a locomotive apparatus.
• Axostyle: Is an axial rod of a flagellate acting as its
support.
Description Of The Terms.Cont’
• Cystosome: It corresponds to a mouth part of a ciliate

• Cytopyge: The excretory or anal opening of the

ciliate.
THE STRUCTURE OF A PROTOZOA.
The Structure Of A Protozoa. Cont’

 The protozoon cell consists of protoplasm divided

into cytoplasm and nucleoplasm having nucleus which
may be one or two.
The Structure Of A Protozoa. Cont’
CYTOPLASM
The cytoplasm is divided into ectoplasm and endoplasm.
I. Ectoplasm: The external hair like part of the cell e.g.
flagella, cilia pseudopodia and is chiefly concerned with
locomotion, response to stimuli, excretion and protection.

II. Endoplasm: The internal granular portion of the cell and

contain food vacuoles which help in food digestion, various
granules like glycogen, fat globules, protein etc. it also
contain mitochondria.
The Structure Of A Protozoa. Cont’
B. NUCLEOPLASM: May be one or more and chiefly
concerned with nutrition and reproduction. It contains
achromatic and chromatic substances.
I. Achromatic Substances: are nuclear membranes, nuclear
sap, nuclear reticulum and nucleoplasm or nucleoli.

II. Chromatin: acts as the governing center of vital activities,

it is essential for cell division, growth and reproduction.
Reproduction And Regeneration Of Protozoa

• Protozoa reproduce by both asexual and sexual means,

though sexual reproduction is less common and occurs
in certain groups.
• Most protozoa reproduce asexually by cell division
producing two equal or sometimes unequal cells.
• The cell division in certain protozoa is longitudinal,
while in others transverse. In some protozoa multiple
fission or schizogamy is known to occur.
Reproduction, cont’
• Asexual: Occurs by binary fission

• Sexual: Occurs where the cells are males and females

Reproduction, cont’
• Asexual reproduction in protozoan : In this type of
reproduction, no fusion of pronuclei takes place.

• It occurs when all the environmental condition are

favorable like temperature, water and nutrition.
Reproduction, cont’
• Sexual reproduction: When reproduction takes place
by the fusion of pronuclei, it is called sexual
reproduction.
• Thus in this case genes of both the parents are present
in the daughter cell.
Classification Of A Protozoa.

 Protozoa are classified by mainly their type of

locomotion or organelle of locomotion. The following
are the four classes.
Classification Of A Protozoa. Cont’

1. Rhizopoza: (amoeba)
• Rhizo=root poda=foot

 This class move by producing pseudo podia like roots of a tree.

• The following are the common ones:
Classification Of A Protozoa. CONT’
In intestines – entamoeba with the following classes:
• Coli
• Histolytica
• Gingivalis
• Endolinax nana
• Iodmoeba butschilli
• Diantamoeba flagilis
Table of Important pathogenic protozoa and commonly caused diseases.

TYPE AND LOCATION SPECIES DISEASE

Intestinal tract Entamoeba histolytica Ambiasis
Giardia lambia Giardiasis
Cryptosporidium parvum Cryptosporidiosis
Balantidium coli Balantidiasis
Isospora belli Isosporiosis
Cyclospora cayentanensis Cryclosporiasis

Urogenital tract Trichomonas vaginalis Trichomoniasis

Blood and tissue Plasmodium species Malaria
Toxoplasma gondii Toxoplasmosis
Trypanasoma species Trypanosomiasis
Leishmania species Leishmaniasis
Naegleria species Amoebic
Acanthamoeba species meningoencephalitis
Babesia microti Amoebic
meningoeencephalitis
babesiosis
Classification Of A Protozoa. Cont’
2. Mastigophora
• Mastig = whip Phora = bearing
These move by means of flagella and binary fission
occurs by longitudinal division. The following are the
common ones.
Classification Of A Protozoa. CONT’
a. In blood:
• Lash mania
• Donovani
• Tropica
• Brazellnsi

 Trypanosoma
• Gambiense
• Rhodesense
• Cruzi
Classification Of A Protozoa. Cont’
b. In intestines
• Trichomonas
• Hominis
• Chilomestix – mensitilli
• Giadia lamblia
Classification Of A Protozoa. Cont’
3. SPOROZOA
• Sporo = seed Zoon = living animal.
These have no organ of locomotion and move slightly
only by amoeboid movement with change in the form
and position. They live in cells of infected people or
mosquito. They multiply asexually and sexually. The
following are the common ones:
Classification Of A Protozoa. Cont’
 In blood
Plasmodium which causes malaria
• Malariae
• Falciparum
• Vivax

 In intestine:
• I sospora hominis
Classification Of A Protozoa. Cont’
 Organs:
• Toxoplasma Gondi

 Lungs:
• Pneumocystis carini.
Classification Of A Protozoa. Cont’
4. CILIATA
These move by cilia (hair like structure shorter than
the flagella). They multiply by transverse division of
the body. They produce cysts.
 Intestines:
• Balantidium coli.
SUMMARY
• We have discussed on protozoa as a group of complex
unicellular organisms which are able to function on their own
i.e. nutrition digestion, locomotion and reproduction.
• We further described the terms used to describe a protozoa
and described the structure of a protozoa as consisting of a
protoplasm divided into a cytoplasm and nucleoplasm having
a nucleus which may be one or two. Also discussed that
protozoa reproduce by both sexual and asexual.
• Lastly we classified protozoa’s into four according to types of
locomotion and organelles of locomotion such as Rhizopoza,
Mastigophora, Sporozoa and cilliata.
EVALUATION
• What is a protozoa?
• List the terms used to describe a protozoa?
• What is the structure of a protozoa?
• How do protozoans reproduce?
• What are the classification of a protozoa?
READING ASSIGNMENT

• Describe the life cycle of a protozoa?

REFERENCE

• Burton, G.R.W. (1995) Microbiology for Health Sciences,

Philadelphia: Lippincott.
• David. G. etal (2007) Medical microbiology, 17th edition.
Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier.
• Norton, C.T. (1981) Microbiology, London: Addison-Wesley
Publishing Company, Inc.
• Richard V. etal (2008) Mims Medical Microbiology, 4th
edition. ELSEVIER.
 THE END

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