Diplomonad

The diplomonads are a group of flagellates, most of which are parasitic. They include most notably Giardia lamblia, which causes giardiasis in humans. They are placed among the metamonads, and appear particularly close relatives of the retortamonads; these are very basal eukaryotes, classified as Protists.

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Most diplomonads are double cells: they have two nuclei, each with four associated flagella, arranged symmetrically about the body's main axis. Like the retortamonads, they lack both mitochondria and a Golgi apparatus. However they are now known to possess mitochondrial relics, called mitosomes. These are not used in ATP synthesis the way mitochondria are, but are involved in the maturation of iron-sulfur proteins^{[citation needed]}.