The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia; single: apicomplexan) are organisms of a large phylum of mainly parasitic alveolates. Most possess a unique form of organelle structure that comprises a type of (non-photosynthetic) plastid called an apicoplast—with an apical complex membrane. The organelle's apical shape (e.g., Ceratium furca) is an adaptation that the apicomplexan applies in penetrating a host cell.
The Apicomplexa are unicellular and spore-forming. Most are obligate endoparasites of animals,[3] except Nephromyces, a symbiont in marine animals, originally classified as a chytrid fungus,[4] and the Chromerida, some of which are photosynthetic partners of corals. Motile structures such as flagella or pseudopods are present only in certain gamete stages.
The Apicomplexa are a diverse group that includes organisms such as the coccidia, gregarines, piroplasms, haemogregarines, and plasmodia.
Diseases caused by Apicomplexa include:
Babesiosis (Babesia)
Malaria (Plasmodium)
Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium parvum)
Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora cayetanensis)
Cystoisosporiasis (Cystoisospora belli)
Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii)
The name Apicomplexa derives from two Latin words—apex (top) and complexus (infolds)—for the set of organelles in the sporozoite. The Apicomplexa comprise the bulk of what used to be called the Sporozoa, a group of parasitic protozoans, in general without flagella, cilia, or pseudopods. Most of the Apicomplexa are motile, however, with a gliding mechanism[5] that uses adhesions and small static myosin motors.[6] The other main lines were the Ascetosporea (a group of Rhizaria), the Myxozoa (highly derived cnidarian animals), and the Microsporidia (derived from fungi). Sometimes, the name Sporozoa is taken as a synonym for the Apicomplexa, or occasionally as a subset.
^Levine ND (1970). "Taxonomy of the Sporozoa". J Parasitol. 56 (4, Sect. 2, Part 1: Supplement: Proceedings Of the Second International Congress of Parasitology): 208–9. JSTOR 3277701.
^Levine ND (May 1971). "Uniform Terminology for the Protozoan Subphylum Apicomplexa". J Eukaryot Microbiol. 18 (2): 352–5. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1971.tb03330.x.
^Jadwiga Grabda (1991). Marine fish parasitology: an outline. VCH. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-89573-823-3.
^Saffo M. B.; McCoy A. M.; Rieken C.; Slamovits C. H. (2010). "Nephromyces, a beneficial apicomplexan symbiont in marine animals". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 107 (37): 16190–5. Bibcode:2010PNAS..10716190S. doi:10.1073/pnas.1002335107. PMC 2941302. PMID 20736348.
^Kappe, Stefan H.I.; et al. (January 2004). "Apicomplexan gliding motility and host cell invasion: overhauling the motor model". Trends in Parasitology. 20 (1): 13–16. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.458.5746. doi:10.1016/j.pt.2003.10.011. PMID 14700584.
^Sibley, L.D.I. (Oct 2010). "How apicomplexan parasites move in and out of cells". Curr Opin Biotechnol. 21 (5): 592–598. doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2010.05.009. PMC 2947570. PMID 20580218.
The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia; single: apicomplexan) are organisms of a large phylum of mainly parasitic alveolates. Most possess a unique...
cellular variety with a distinct morphology and biochemistry. Not all apicomplexa develop all the following cellular varieties and division methods. This...
organisms. Almost all sequenced mitochondrial genomes of ciliates and apicomplexa are linear. The mitochondria almost all carry mtDNA of their own but...
The common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), also called the Chinese or Asian raccoon dog to distinguish it from the Japanese raccoon dog, is a small...
cycle. Plasmodium is a member of the phylum Apicomplexa, a large group of parasitic eukaryotes. Within Apicomplexa, Plasmodium is in the order Haemosporida...
that they are intermingled in a clade that is the closest relative to Apicomplexa, and they became collectively known as chrompodellids. Due to the history...
organelles, like micronemes, are characteristic of the motile stages of Apicomplexa protozoans. They can vary in number and shape and contain numerous enzymes...
can differentiate); and apicoplasts (non-photosynthetic plastids of apicomplexa derived from secondary endosymbiosis). A permanent primary endosymbiosis...
fungi A lifecycle stage in two unrelated groups of species: Apicomplexa parasites: see Apicomplexa lifecycle stages Trematode flatworms: see Trematode lifecycle...
parasite species belonging to the genera Plasmodium and Hemoproteus (phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporidia, family Plasmoiidae). The disease is transmitted...
sometimes described as a phylum, containing the major subphyla Dinozoa and Apicomplexa, plus minor subphyla. The term Myzozoa superseded the previous term "Miozoa"...
An apicoplast is a derived non-photosynthetic plastid found in most Apicomplexa, including Toxoplasma gondii, and Plasmodium falciparum and other Plasmodium...
group, and a number of endosymbiotic events apparently occurred. The Apicomplexa, a group of closely related parasites, also have plastids called apicoplasts...
order Piroplasmida, typically a Babesia or Theileria, in the phylum Apicomplexa. Human babesiosis transmission via tick bite is most common in the Northeastern...
1099/ijs.0.02587-0. ISSN 1466-5026. PMID 14657097. Introduction to the Apicomplexa. Ucmp.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2014-03-20. Fossil Record of the Ciliata...
Alveolata contains three of the most well-known groups of protists: Apicomplexa, a parasitic group with species harmful to humans and animals; Dinoflagellata...
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