What is Apicomplexa?
{{Taxobox | name = Apicomplexa | image = Malaria.jpg|Plasmodium | domain = [[Eukaryota]] | regnum = [[Chromalveolata]] | superphylum = [[Alveolata]] | phylum = '''Apicomplexa''' | subdivision_ranks = Classes & Subclasses | subdivision = '''[[Aconoidasida]]'''<br /> * [[Haemosporasina]] * [[Piroplasmasina]] '''[[Conoidasida]]'''<br /> * [[Coccidia]]sina * [[Gregarinasina]]}} The '''Apicomplexa''' are a large group of [[protist]]s ([[protozoa]]) which are [[parasitic]]. They have developed some extraordinary [[adaptations]] which fit them in their parasitic life. They are all single-celled, they are all parasites of animals,<ref>{{cite book |author=Jadwiga Grabda |title=Marine fish parasitology: an outline |page=8 |year=1991 |publisher=VCH |isbn=0895738236 }}</ref> and they all form [[spores]]. They have a unique [[organelle]], a [[plastid]] called an '''apicoplast''',<ref name=intro/> and an '''apical complex''' structure which gets them into a host's cell. They do not have structures such as [[flagella]] or [[pseudopods]] except in certain [[gamete]] stages. Body movement is by flexing or gliding. The group were once called the '''Sporozoa''', but this name is now discouraged.<ref name=intro>[http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/apicomplexa.html Introduction to the Apicomplexa]</ref> Apicomplexans have complex life cycles, and there is much variation among different apicomplexan groups. Both [[Asexual reproduction|asexual]] and [[sexual reproduction]] occur. [[Cell nucleus|Cell nuclei]] are [[haploid]]. This is a diverse group including organisms such as [[coccidia]], [[gregarine]]s, [[piroplasm]]s, [[haemogregarine]]s, and [[malaria]]s. Diseases caused by apicomplexan organisms include: * [[Babesiosis]] (''[[Babesia]]'') * [[Malaria]] (''[[Plasmodium]]'') * Coccidian diseases including: ** [[Cryptosporidiosis]] (''[[Cryptosporidium parvum]]'') ** [[Cyclosporiasis]] (''[[Cyclospora cayetanensis]]'') ** [[Isosporiasis]] (''[[Isospora belli]]'') ** [[Toxoplasmosis]] (''[[Toxoplasma gondii]]'') == Life cycle