Protists are unicellular eukaryotic organisms that play a key role in various ecosystems, making up a large part of the planktonic biomass in aquatic environments and also contributing to biological cycles in terrestrial soils. The specimens in this collection are 'free-living' or parasitic protists, mainly Ciliates, Flagellates (Kinetoplastidae, Trichomonadinae, Diplomonadinae) and Apicomplexa, but also other groups (Foraminifera, Heliozoa, Amoeba, etc.). 

The collections consist of :

• histological collections containing fixed and usually stained micro-organisms (23,000 slides, blocks and tubes) from the historical collections of renowned Protistologists (E. Chatton, A. Hollande, G. Deroux, J. and M. Cachon, J.-P. Mignot, E. Fauré-Fremiet, etc.), as well as deposits from current Protistologists;
• documentary collections including photographs, photonic and electron microscopy negatives, and original drawings.
   

These collections offer many items of historical interest, often linked to reference articles or illustrations that trace the development of protistology techniques. They also provide high-quality iconographic support for the creation of databases on protists and the development of educational tools. A number of digital documents have been created to highlight the scientific careers of major French protistologists, such as Édouard Chatton and André Lwoff, or to delve deeper into the biology of certain families of protists. In addition, these collections include material of remarkable historical interest, such as that relating to Sir Ronald Ross, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902, rewarded for his revolutionary work on the transmission of malaria.

These collections of protists are regularly enriched, in particular by the addition of free-living or parasitic protists thanks to the description of new species, the deposit of types, the re-description of existing species and the contribution of associated material. These additions come from regular collections carried out as part of programmes to monitor the health of wildlife (birds, bats, rodents) and insect vectors, such as the Hippoboscidae.

The specimens added are accompanied by illustrative plates, photographs, detailed descriptions and molecular data. This work also includes the synonymisation of species, carried out in collaboration with other collections held in international institutes, as well as efforts to re-describe and describe new species.
These contributions are enriching the fields of taxonomy, phylogeny, animal health and vector-related aspects of animal and human diseases, thereby enhancing our knowledge of host-parasite interactions and epidemiological dynamics.

Linda Duval, scientific curator of the Protist collections
linda.duval [@] mnhn.fr
Tél. 01 40 79 35 09

Philippe Grellier, curator
philippe.grellier [@] mnhn.fr
Tél. 01 40 79 35 10