Oocyst
Oocyst
Oocyst (pronunciation: /ˈoʊ.ə.sɪst/) is a term used in the field of parasitology to describe a form of certain parasites.
Etymology
The term "oocyst" is derived from the Greek words "oo", meaning egg, and "kystis", meaning bladder.
Definition
An oocyst is a thick-walled structure in which zygote formation and initial stages of sporogony occur in certain protozoa. It is a stage in the life cycle of certain parasites, including those in the phylum Apicomplexa, such as Plasmodium species and Toxoplasma gondii, which cause malaria and toxoplasmosis, respectively.
Formation
The formation of an oocyst occurs after the fusion of male and female gametes in the gut of a definitive host, such as a mosquito in the case of Plasmodium species. The oocyst then undergoes sporogony to produce sporozoites, which are the infective stage of the parasite.
Related Terms
- Sporogony: The process of spore formation in parasites.
- Sporozoite: The cell form that infects new hosts in many parasitic protozoans.
- Gamete: A mature sexual reproductive cell.
- Zygote: The cell formed by the union of two gametes.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Oocyst
- Wikipedia's article - Oocyst
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski