Protozoal Infection (PI)

Protozoan infections are parasitic diseases caused by organisms formerly classified in the Kingdom Protozoa. They include organisms classified in Amoebozoa, Excavata, and Chromalveolata. Examples include Entamoeba histolytica, Plasmodium (some of which cause malaria), and Giardia lamblia. Trypanosoma brucei, transmitted by the tsetse fly and the cause of African sleeping sickness, is another example. The species traditionally collectively termed "protozoa" are not closely related to each other, and have only superficial similarities (eukaryotic, unicellular, motile, though with exceptions.) The terms "protozoa" (and protist) are usually discouraged in the modern biosciences.