plasmodium

plasmodium definition - medical

plas·mo·di·um (plăz-mōˈdē-əm)

noun pl. plas·mo·di·a (-dē-ə)
  1. A multinucleate mass of cytoplasm formed by the aggregation of a number of amoeboid cells, as that characteristic of the vegetative phase of the slime molds.
  2. A protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, which includes the parasites that cause malaria.
Plasmodium definition - medical

Plasmodium

noun
A genus of protozoans that are parasites of the red blood cells of vertebrates and include the causative agents of malaria.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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