sporozoan

spo·ro·zo·an  (spôr-zn, spr-)

n.

Any of numerous parasitic protozoans of the class Sporozoa, most of which reproduce sexually and asexually in alternate generations by means of spores. They are frequently transmitted by bloodsucking insects to different hosts, where they cause many serious diseases, such as malaria and coccidiosis.

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[From New Latin Sporoza, class name : sporo- + -za, pl. of -zon, -zoon.]

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sporo·zoan adj.

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sporozoan  (spôr-zn)

Any of numerous parasitic protozoans now classified as apicomplexans.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

sporozoan - parasitic spore-forming protozoan     protozoan, protozoon - any of diverse minute acellular or unicellular organisms usually nonphotosynthetic class Sporozoa, Sporozoa - strictly parasitic protozoans that are usually immobile; includes plasmodia and coccidia and piroplasms and malaria parasites sporozoite - one of the minute active bodies into which sporozoans divide in one stage of their life cycle trophozoite - a sporozoan in the active feeding stage of its life cycle merozoite - a cell that arises from the asexual division of a parent sporozoan during its life cycle coccidium, eimeria - parasitic on the digestive epithelium of vertebrates and higher invertebrates gregarine - vermiform protozoans parasitic in insects and other invertebrates haemosporidian - minute protozoans parasitic at some stage of the life cycle in blood cells of vertebrates including many pathogens malaria parasite, Plasmodium vivax, plasmodium - parasitic protozoan of the genus Plasmodium that causes malaria in humans haemoproteid - related to malaria parasite and having a phase in the viscera of various birds leucocytozoan, leucocytozoon - parasitic in birds piroplasm - minute parasite of red blood cells of mammals transmitted by a tick and causing diseases of domestic animals sarcocystidean, sarcocystieian, sarcosporidian - parasite of the muscles of vertebrates haplosporidian - parasite in invertebrates and lower vertebrates of no known economic importance actinomyxidian - parasites of worms microsporidian - parasite of arthropods and fishes that invade and destroy host cells myxosporidian - mostly parasitic in fishes and including various serious pathogens