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Ultrastructure of Ditrichomonas honigbergii N. G., N. Sp. (Parabasalia) and Its Relationship to Amitochondrial Protists
Author(s) -
FARMER MARK A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1993.tb06119.x
Subject(s) - biology , flagellum , flagellate , protozoa , ultrastructure , microbiology and biotechnology , basal body , phagocytosis , zoology , bacteria , anatomy , botany , paleontology
.Ditrichomonas honigbergii n. g., n. sp. is a small trichomonad flagellate that has three emergent flagella arising from four basal bodies, a parabasal apparatus (single dictyosome with associated striated flagellar rootlets), a microtubular axostyle, a short undulating membrane, and hydrogenosomes. Cultures of D. honigbergii were isolated from the sediments of a freshwater lake and there is no known metazoan host. Cells form walled cysts with internalized flagella and go through all phases of the life cycle (excystment, binary division, encystment) without any perturbations to the culture medium. Ditrichornonas honigbergii is capable of ingesting and digesting bacteria by phagocytosis. These facts suggest that D. honigbergii may be a free‐living inhabitant of oxygen‐reduced environments. The structure of D. honigbergii is similar to that of retortamonads and the relationship of trichomonads to other amitochondrial protists is discussed.