Anti-protist or antiprotistal refers to an
anti-parasitic
Antiparasitics are a class of medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases, such as those caused by helminths, amoeba, ectoparasites, parasitic fungi, and protozoa, among others. Antiparasitics target the parasitic agent ...
and
anti-infective
infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...
agent which is active against
protists
A protist ( ) or protoctist is any Eukaryote, eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, Embryophyte, land plant, or fungus. Protists do not form a Clade, natural group, or clade, but are a Paraphyly, paraphyletic grouping of all descendants o ...
. Unfortunately due to the long ingrained usage of the term
antiprotozoal
Antiprotozoal agents ( ATC code: ATC P01) is a class of pharmaceuticals used in treatment of protozoan infection.
A paraphyletic group, protozoans have little in common with each other. For example, '' Entamoeba histolytica'', a unikont eukary ...
, the two terms are confused, when in fact protists are a supercategory. Therefore, there are protists that are not protozoans.
Beyond "animal-like" (heterotrophic, including parasitic) protozoans, protists also include the "plant-like" (autotrophic)
protophyta and the "fungi-like"
saprophytic
Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ...
molds. In current biology, the concept of a "protist" and its three subdivisions has been replaced.
See also
*
Amebicide
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antiprotist Agent
Biocides