phagosome

[ fag-uh-sohm ]

noun

1. a vacuole within a phagocyte that contains bacteria or other ingested particles and that becomes fused with a lysosome.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phagosome¹

First recorded in 1955–60; phago- + -some ³

Example Sentences

Finally, photographs of Amoebophilus trapped inside phagosomes showed that anywhere a bacterium physically touched the phagosome membrane, the injection guns were adjacent to the point of contact, and at least one of them had been fired.

From Scientific American

Stabbing the phagosome, however, seems to allow Amoebophilus to escape its prison, avoid being eaten, and then to help itself to its host’s pantry while making lots of little bacteria.

From Scientific American

It’s not yet clear, however, whether the phagosome is destroyed by the escape, nor whether it is ruptured by the physical act of puncture or by chemicals delivered by the spears.

From Scientific American

Lysosome and invader, now packaged in a phagosome, are drawn together and fuse.

From Time Magazine Archive