Alfred François Donné in the context of "Trichomonas"

Trichomonas is a genus of anaerobic excavate parasites of vertebrates. It was first discovered by Alfred François Donné in 1836 when he found these parasites in the vagina of a patient suffering from vaginitis, an inflammation of the vagina. Donné named the genus from its morphological characteristics. The prefix tricho- originates from the Ancient Greek word θρίξ (thrix) meaning hair, describing Trichomonas's flagella. The suffix -monas (μονάς – single unit), describes its similarity to unicellular organisms from the genus Monas.