Selected glossary of terms
Binary fission asexual reproduction of Balantidium coli
and other ciliated protozoa; common mode of replication inside large intestines
of hosts
Cecum the pouch formed at the termination of the small
intestine and at the beginning of the large intestine; Balantidium coli
are known to infect and invade this region of the large intestine
Ciliate a phylum of protozoa characterized by cilia during
at least one stage of life, two nuclei (macro and micro), and contractile
vacuoles
Colitis inflammation of the colon (large intestine)
Colon generally, the large intestine
Conjugation sexual reproduction mode of Balantidium coli
and other ciliated protozoa; temporary cytoplasmic union with exchange of
nuclear material
Cyst the infective stage of Balantidium coli;
the protozoa is round and spherical, with a tough, thick cyst wall made of 2
layers. Cysts passed in the feces can
be ingested by animals and can transmit Balantidiasis to new hosts.
Dysentery a condition of severe diarrhea with passage of
blood and/or mucus
Sigmoidoscopy procedure for viewing the large intestine and for taking
tissue biopsies; a thin, flexible, hollow instrument (sigmoidoscope) is
inserted through the anus; physicians use sigmoidoscopy for inspecting,
diagnosis, and photographing the large intestine; it is especially useful for
diagnosing the cause of diarrhea, constipation, or abdominal pain, and for
identifying early signs of intestinal cancers.
Using sigmoidoscopy, a physician can see bleeding, inflammation,
abnormal growths, and ulcers in the descending colon and rectum.
Trophozoite the non-infective stage of Balantidium coli;
the protozoa is ovoid and tapered at the anterior end; trophozoites lack cyst
walls but are motile thanks to the cilia covering their surfaces. Balantidium coli feed and reproduce
during the trophozoite stage.
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|||