Trichomonads and Their Cell Biology

General Information

Trichomonads are unicellular eukaryotes (protists) and belong to the order Trichomonadida within the phylum Parabasalia that contains only anaerobic species. In current higher-level eukaryote systematics, the parabasalids are placed within the kingdom Excavata. Because of their anaerobic lifestyle, many trichomonads inhabit the gut of cockroaches or termites, and many are important parasites that infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts (see below Table 1). All trichomonads possess a single nucleus situated at the anterior end of the cell (Fig. 1). A characteristic feature of the parasite’s cytoskeleton includes the costa, pelta, and axostyle – together often referred to as the mastigont system. The costa is a thick filamentous rod composed out of large striated fibres that opposes the undulating membrane on the cytosolic side. The pelta is a microtubule-based structure that supports the canal from which the flagella emerge. It localizes within the mastigont system...