coccidium

[ kok-sid-ee-uhm ]

noun

, Microbiology.

, plural coc·cid·i·a [kok-, sid, -ee-, uh].

1. any sporozoan of the order Coccidia, often parasitic in the digestive tracts of certain animals and a cause of coccidiosis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coccidium¹

< New Latin Coccidium, originally a genus name; coccus, -idium

Example Sentences

This genus is distinguished from Coccidium by the fact that the sporocysts become dissolved up in the oocyst, thus leaving the 8 sporozoites unenclosed, recalling the condition in L�gerella.

From Project Gutenberg

The generic name Coccidium was introduced by R. Leuckart in 1879, for the parasite of the rabbit.

From Project Gutenberg