ðə mˈaɪɾoʊsˌoʊm wʌz fˈɜːst dɪskˈʌvɚd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn ɪn ɛntɐmˈiːbə hˌɪstəlˈɪɾɪkə, ɐn ɪntˈɛstɪnəl pˈæɹəsˌaɪt ʌv hjˈuːmənz, ænd mˈaɪɾəsˌoʊmz hæv ˈɔːlsoʊ bˌɪn aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪd ɪn sˈɛvɹəl spˈiːsiːz ʌv mˌaɪkɹoʊspoːɹˈɪdiə ænd ɪn dʒˈaɪɚdiə ɪntˌɛstɪnˈɑːliz.
The mitosome was first discovered in 1999 in Entamoeba histolytica, an intestinal parasite of humans, and mitosomes have also been identified in several species of Microsporidia and in Giardia intestinalis.