protozoan

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Related to protozoans: paramecium

protozoan

[pro″to-zo´an]

1. of or pertaining to protozoa.

2. an organism belonging to the Protozoa.

pro·to·zo·an

(prō'tō-zō'ăn),

1. A member of the phylum Protozoa. Synonym(s): protozoon

2. Relating to protozoa. Synonym(s): protozoal

protozoan

/pro·to·zo·an/ (-zo´an)

1. any member of the Protozoa.

2. of or pertaining to the Protozoa.

protozoan

(prō′tə-zō′ən) also

protozoon

(-ŏn′)

n. pl. proto·zoans or proto·zoa (-zō′ə) also proto·zoons

Any of numerous chiefly single-celled eukaryotic organisms, most of which move about freely and ingest food, including the amoebas, ciliates, flagellates, and apicomplexans. Protozoans along with certain algae, oomycetes, and some other groups make up the protists.

pro′to·zo′an, pro′to·zo′al, pro′to·zo′ic adj.

protozoan

[-zō′ən]

Etymology: Gk, protos, first, zoon, animal

pertaining to or caused by protozoa.

pro·to·zo·an

(prō'tō-zō'ăn)

1. A member of the phylum Protozoa.
Synonym(s): protozoon.

2. Relating to protozoa.
Synonym(s): protozoal.

protozoan

any member of the phylum Protozoa (sometimes regarded as a subkingdom of the animal kingdom), including unicellular or acellular organisms. The members of the group feed as HOLOPHYTES, SAPROPHYTES or in a HOLOZOIC manner, move by means of FLAGELLA, CILIA or PSEUDOPODIA, and reproduce by FISSION or CONJUGATION.

Protozoan (plural, protozoa)

A single-celled, usually microscopic organism, such as B. coli, that is eukaryotic and, therefore, different from bacteria (prokaryotic).

Mentioned in: AIDS, Amebiasis, Antihelminthic Drugs, Balantidiasis, Dysentery, Pneumocystis Pneumonia, Toxoplasmosis, Trichomoniasis

protozoan

1. of or pertaining to protozoa.

2. an organism belonging to the Protozoa.

References in periodicals archive ?

Entamoeba coli and Endolimax nana were the most commonly detected protozoan parasites, while Isospora, Cryptosporidia and other Coccidia species were less common (Table I).

Intestinal parasitic infections in adult patients in KwaZulu-Natal

Occurrence of epizoic and parasitic protozoans on Calanoida in the Southern Baltic.

Detrimental effect of peritrich ciliates (Epistylis sp.) as epibionts on the survival of the copepod Acartia bifilosa/Aerjalalise Acartia bifilosa isenditel esinevate ripsloomadest epibiontide (Epistylis sp.) kahjustav moju

The ciliate protozoan, Nyctotherus cordiformis, is a cosmopolitan parasite of frogs and toads and, while it is not surprising that S.

Endoparasites of Hurter's spadefoot, Scaphiopus hurterii and plains spadefoot, Spea bombifrons (anura: Scaphiopodidae), from southern Oklahoma

PCR technology represents a rapid, sensitive and reproducible technique for detecting these protozoans over more laborious and time-consuming conventional testing.

DNA TESTS BEING DEVELOPED FOR WATER-BORNE PROTOZOANS; Perkin-Elmer Applies PCR Method To Detect Giardia And Cryptosporidium In Water

These membranes are probably remnants of the series of evolutionary gulps that landed the DNA inside an alga that eventually ended up in the single-celled protozoans.

Algal origins of a protozoan part

Lacking a conscience, one tiny protozoan resolves the issue forcefully, dissolving many of its parents' genes as it charts its own course, according to new research.

Protozoan machinery grinds parental genes

Their analyses showed that the presumed protozoan, Epulopiscium fishelsoni, should instead consider gram-positive bacteria its closest kin.

Monstrous microbes are just big bacteria

Molecular geneticists have faced this frustration ever since the 1986 discovery that cells of many organisms, from protozoans to people, contain extra bits of genetic information that aren't obviously encoded by the DNA in their genes.

A novel way of editing genetic messages

They reported discovering that mosquitoes of these strains quickly encapsulated any protozoans they ingested, preventing the microscopic organism from infecting any human subsequently attacked by the insect.

The swat team: gene-altered mosquitoes appear on the horizon

Until recently, researchers assumed that most aquatic bacteria succumbed to "grazing" by protozoans.

Many bacteria riddled with viruses

Every minute, grazing protozoans gobble huge numbers of aquatic bacteria, yet studies indicate bacterial reproduction far exceeds these grazing rates.

Aquatic viruses unexpectedly abundant

Doudna have modified a type of RNA molecule--called a ribozyme -- found in protozoans and some other organisms.