Amphitricha

Amphitricha, Amphitrieha (from the Greek amphi- on both sides and trichoma-hair), motile microorganisms with flagella at both ends of the body. In the classification of A., the following are distinguished: lophotricha - with a bundle of flagella at one of the poles, peritricha - with flagella over the entire surface of the body. The independence of the type A. is disputed by many. Omeliansky considers A. as a stage in the development of mono- and lophotricha: after dividing, the amphitrichal cell again gives rise to mono- and lophotricha.

The arrangement of flagella to a certain extent determines the nature of the microbe's movement: mono- and lophotricha move in a screw-like manner with flagella forward, peritricha perform translational, pendulum-like and oscillatory movements. The number and arrangement of flagella play a major role in the processes of adsorption of nutrients by the cell. The very mechanism of movement of microbes Jennings (Jennigs) considers as a result of irritation of the flagella, arising on the basis of metabolic disorders in the cell due to a change in the reaction of the environment in a given area. When they come into motion, the flagella push the cell forward or sideways in the direction of a new area of the nutrient medium.