Physiology 463 



Digestion of carbohydrates 



Enzymes catalyzing the digestion of carbohydrates are of two 

 general types — polysaccharidases, or polysaccharases, acting on cellulose, 

 starch, and similar large molecules, and the glycosidases, acting on such 

 small molecules as disaccharides and trisaccharides. 



The digestion of cellulose has been reported for several Protozoa 

 (Table 8. 5) and the same ability may be assumed for species which feed 

 on plant materials or those which invade plant tissues. The demonstra- 

 tion of cellulases in certain flagellates of termites (216, 217, 555) and 

 the wood roach (554), and in certain ciliates of ruminants (218, 219), 



TABLE 8. 5. UTILIZATION OF POLYSACCHARIDES 



Species 



Cellulose Starch Inulin Dextrin Glycogen 



MASTIGOPHORA 



Eiitrichomaslix colubrorum (47) 



Leishmania tropica (102) 



Slrigomonas media (365) 



■S". muscidarum (365) 



S. parva (365) 



Trichomonas columbae (47) 



T. foetus (47) 



T. termopsidis (555) 



flagellates of termites (217) 



flagellates of wood roach (554) 



SPOROZOA 



Plasmodium knowlesi (133) 



CILIATEA 



Chilodon cucullus (162) 

 Colpidium campylum (272) 

 Diplodinium denticulatum (219) 

 D. maggii (219) 

 D. multivesiculatum (219) 

 Entodinium caudatum (219) 

 Eudiplodinium neglectum (219) 

 Glaucoma scintillans (272) 

 Paramecium caudatum (162) 

 P. multimicronucleatum (162) 

 Sapropkilus ovijormis (162) 

 Tetrahymena pyrijormis E (114) 

 T. pyrijormis E (279) 

 r. pyrijormis GF-J (251) 

 T. pyrijormis GHH (279) 

 T. pyrijormis GP (251) 

 T. pyrijormis H (114) 

 T. pyrijormis H (279) 

 T. pyrijormis L (71) 

 T. pyrijormis R (311) 

 T. pyrijormis T, T-P, W (279) 

 T. vorax (272, 279) 

 Trichoda pura (162) 



