coccidium

[ kok-sid-ee-uhm ]

noun,plural coc·cid·i·a

[kok-sid-ee-uh]. /kɒkˈsɪd i ə/. Microbiology.

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

Origin of coccidium

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

But in many cases Coccidia are found in other organs, to which they are doubtless carried by lymphatic or circulatory channels.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 | Various
That coccidia are not always killed by exposure to the sun is shown by their survival on the sites of old chicken yards.
Our Vanishing Wild Life | William T. Hornaday
For this reason he regards them as Gregarines rather than Coccidia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 | Various

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