any parasitic spore-forming protozoan of the phylum (or class) Sporozoa, several species of which, as plasmodia, cause malaria.
adjective
Also sporozoal. belonging or pertaining to the Sporozoa.
sporozoan
British
/ ˌspɔːrəˈzəʊən, ˌspɒ- /
noun
any parasitic protozoan of the phylum Apicomplexa (or Sporozoa ), characterized by a complex life cycle, part of which is passed in the cells of the host, and the production of asexual spores: includes the malaria parasite See plasmodium