On the ultrastructure of Trichomonas vaginalis: cytoskeleton, endocytosis and hydrogenosomes

this paper is focused on the study of the ultrastructure of trichomonas vaginalis in liquid cultures. its cytoskeleton, the morphology of its hydrogenosomes, and endocytosis phenomena have been observed by scanning electron microscopy (sem) and transmission electron microscopy (tem). for the present study, the traditional techniques for sem and tem have been slightly modified for the processing of this flagellate. following our experiments, it can be concluded that: 1. the modified techniques are adequate for the ultrastructural study of this protozoon. 2. there are no mitochondria in t. vaginalis. 3. t. vaginalis might use micropinocytosis processes related to coated vesicles as a habitual endo- and exocytosis mechanism, while phagocytosis is observed for major vesicles. 4. as to the cytoskeleton, microtubules are numerous and display different structures, which are analyzed in this paper. 5. many hydrogenosomes are found in the cytoplasm of t. vaginalis underneath the undulating membrane and along the axostyle, each with electron-dense deposits in the manner of ？operculums.？