Trichomonadida is an order of anaerobic , included with the . Members of this order are referred to as trichomonads.
Some organisms in this order include:
-
Trichomonas vaginalis, an organism living inside the vagina of humans
-
Dientamoeba fragilis, parasitic ameboid in humans
-
Histomonas meleagridis, parasite that causes blackhead disease in poultry
-
Mixotricha paradoxa, a symbiotic organism inside termites, host of Endosymbiosis
Anatomy
Species in this order typically have four to six
flagellum at the cell's apical pole, one of which is recurrent - that is, it runs along a surface wave, giving the aspect of an undulating membrane. Like other parabasalids, they typically have an
axostyle, a
pelta, a
costa body, and
Basal body. In
Histomonas only one flagellum and a reduced axostyle are found, and in
Dientamoeba, both are absent.
Behavior
Most species are either
or other
of animals.
Trichomonads reproduce by a special form of longitudinal binary fission, leading to large numbers of in a relatively short time. Microbial cyst never form, so transmission from one host to another is always based on direct contact between the sites they occupy.
Treatment
The preferred treatment for trichomonad infection is
metronidazole.
External links
