Question

Give an example of a parasitic protozoan.

Answer 1

A parasite is a parasitic entity that lives on or in its host and feeds on or at the expense of it. The three forms of parasites that can cause sickness in humans are protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. The remaining 11,000 species live as parasites on vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, while 21,000 species exist as free-living animals in aquatic or terrestrial settings.

Complete answer:
Protozoa are single-celled organisms that can survive as free-living organisms or as parasites. They have the ability to replicate in humans, which aids their survival while also allowing hazardous diseases to spread from a single organism. Human intestine-dwelling protozoa are frequently transmitted to another human via a fecal-oral route (for example, contaminated food or water or person-to-person contact). An arthropod vector spreads human blood or tissue-dwelling protozoa to other individuals (for example, through the bite of a mosquito or sand fly).

Amebae such as Entamoeba are classified as Sarcodina. Flagellates, such as Giardia, Leishmania, and others, are classified as Mastigophora. Ciliophora is the classification for ciliates like Balantidium. Plasmodium and Cryptosporidium are examples of Sporozoa, which have a non-motile adult stage.

Protozoa are single-celled eukaryotic creatures. In nature, they are heterotrophic. They could be parasitic or self-sustaining. A single cell performs all metabolic and reproductive functions. As endoparasites, several protozoans infect individuals and cause a range of diseases.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, a parasitic protozoan. Many diverse types of species, including plants, animals, and some marine life, are affected by protozoan diseases. Many of the most frequent and serious human diseases, such as African Sleeping Sickness, amoebic dysentery, and malaria, are caused by protozoan infections.

Note: The formerly known as "protozoa" species are not closely related and bear only a passing resemblance (eukaryotic, unicellular, motile, though with exceptions). The terms "protozoa" (and "protist") are rarely used in modern biosciences. However, this term is still used in medicine. This is due in part to medical classification's conservative nature, and in part to the necessity of making organism identifications based on morphology.