Question

Giardia intestinalis is an intestinal parasite of humans and other mammals that causes intestinal ailments in most people who ingest the cysts. Upon ingestion, each cyst releases two motile cells, called trophozoites. These attach to the small intestine's lining via a ventral adhesive disk. The trophozoites anaerobically metabolize glucose from the host's intestinal contents to produce ATP. Reproduction is completely asexual, occurring by longitudinal binary fission of trophozoites, with each daughter cell receiving two haploid nuclei (n = 5). A trophozoite will often encyst as it passes into the large intestine by secreting around itself a case that is resistant to cold, heat, and dehydration. Infection usually occurs by drinking untreated water that contains cysts.

The cysts of Giardia function most like the _____.
A) mitochondria of ancestral diplomonads
B) nuclei of archaeans
C) endospores of bacteria
D) capsids of viruses

Answer 1

The correct answer is option C) "endospores of bacteria".

Step-by-step explanation:

The endospores of bacteria are structures of survival that bacteria synthesize under extreme stressful conditions, particularly, caused by the lack of nutrients. Endospores of bacteria cause a number of intestinal diseases upon ingestion like the cysts of Giardia, that can be from mild diarrhea to severe life-threatening inflammation of the colon. In addition, the endospores of bacteria are resistant to cold, heat, and dehydration just like the cysts of Giardia .