apicomplexan

American  

[ay-puh-kuhm-plek-suhn] / ˌeɪ pə kəmˈplɛk sən /

noun

plural

apicomplexans

1. Microbiology. an organism belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. Also classified, especially formerly, as a sporozoan.

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adjective

1. Microbiology. of or relating to the phylum Apicomplexa or to any organism classified therein.

apicomplexan Scientific  

/ ăp′ĭ-kəm-plĕk′sən /

1. Any of a phylum (Apicomplexa) of protozoans that are parasitic in animals, especially animal bloodstreams, and are distinguished by a variety of organelles, including fibrils and microtubules, located at one end (called the apical end) of the cell. These organelles help the apicomplexan invade an animal cell. Apicomplexans form spores and reproduce sexually in an alternation of generations; many have complex life cycles and are transmitted to animals hosts by bloodsucking insects. Apicomplexans include the organisms that were once classified as sporozoans, including the protozoans that cause malaria and toxoplasmosis.

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Example Sentences

Shared elements of host-targeting pathways among apicomplexan parasites of differing lifestyles.

From Nature • Sep. 24, 2017

Theileria is a plague upon cattle in the tropical regions of Africa, and is an apicomplexan of the Piroplasmid affiliation.

From Scientific American • Jul. 27, 2013

They sort of look like torpedoes: Structure of a generalised apicomplexan in its invasion form.

From Scientific American • Jul. 27, 2013