Meet the Microbes
Microbeworld Radio
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Flagellates

Similarly complex single-celled organisms, flagellates have whip-like appendages called flagella sticking out of their cells.

The flagella are used for locomotion and to direct food particles or cells into the organism’s mouth-like opening. Flagellates dine on bacteria, algae, and other protozoa.

Several well-known flagellates cause parasitic diseases, such as trypanosomes that cause sleeping sickness, and Giardia lamblia, a parasite found in mountain streams and rivers that causes severe gastrointestinal distress.