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Protists are distributed across all major groups of eukaryotes, including those that contain multicellular algae, green plants, animals, and fungi. If photosynthetic and fungal protists are distinguished from protozoa, they appear as shown in the phylogenetic tree of eukaryotic groups.
Many of the most prevalent and deadly human diseases are caused by a protozoan infection, including African sleeping sickness, amoebic dysentery, and malaria. The species originally termed "protozoa" are not closely related to each other and only have superficial similarities ( eukaryotic , unicellular , motile , though with exceptions).
It is the second largest of the human body and made of various bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. [14] These organisms play an important role in oral and overall health. Anthony Van Leeuwenhoek was the first to view these organisms using a microscope he created. [14]
Alveolata include around nine major and minor groups. They are diverse in form, and are known to be related by various ultrastructural and genetic similarities: [13] Ciliates – very common protozoa with many short cilia arranged in rows, and two nuclei; Acavomonidia [13] Colponemidia [13]
Amoebozoa is a major taxonomic group containing about 2,400 described species of amoeboid protists, [8] often possessing blunt, fingerlike, lobose pseudopods and tubular mitochondrial cristae. [7] [9] In traditional classification schemes, Amoebozoa is usually ranked as a phylum within either the kingdom Protista [10] or the kingdom Protozoa.
Parasites are organisms which derive sustenance from its host while causing it harm. [2] The study of parasites and parasitic diseases is known as parasitology. [3] Medical parasitology is concerned with three major groups of parasites: parasitic protozoa, helminths, and parasitic arthropods. [2]
Feeding techniques vary considerably, however. Some ciliates are mouthless and feed by absorption , while others are predatory and feed on other protozoa and in particular on other ciliates. Some ciliates parasitize animals, although only one species, Balantidium coli, is known to cause disease in humans. [21]
The name DRIP is an acronym for the first protozoa identified as members of the group, [5] Cavalier-Smith later treated them as the class Ichthyosporea, since they were all parasites of fish. order Dermocystida "D": Dermocystidium. One species, Rhinosporidium seeberi, infects birds and mammals, including humans.