Fine structures of Trichomonas tenax and Trichomonas hominis

ABSTRACT

Trichomonas tenax(T. tenax) and Trichomonas hominis (T. hominis) were collected, cultured and sampled for comparative microscopical studies using electron microscope. Both flagellates were oval in shape and surrounded by a distinct outer membrane. Five recurrent flagella and one anterior flagellum had, each, 9 paris of peripheral and 1 pair of central fibrils, Undulating membrane was curved over the recurrent flagella, and bended in the middle at right angles with cell surface. Cytostome, engulfing bacteria, was observed in T. hominis. In the cytoplasm, there were fine dense glycogen particles, and vacuoles containing ingested materials. Dense pigment rods were also observed in both flagellates, but the rods were not distributed around the vacuoles in T. hominis. In T. tenax axostyle appeared as a cup-shaped structure comprising a single row of 41 fibrils, each about 120 a in diameter. It enclosed glycogen particles, and the open side was faced to the nucleus. Endoplasmic reticulum was observed around the nucleus, but it was less developed in T. hominis. Nucleus was ovoid having double nuclear membrane, which was clearly defined in T. hominis. Blepharoplast, parabasal body, Golgi appartus and mitochondrion was not observed in both flagellates.