🦟 Malaria parasite 🧫 Moving cell mass

plasmodium

9.9

A parasite that causes malaria in humans and spreads through mosquito bites

noun
/plæzˈmoʊdiəm/

Specialized

: plasmodio

There are four types, of which plasmodium falciparum is by far the most dangerous.

Examples

Infected individuals may exhibit symptoms caused by the Plasmodium protozoan, such as fever and chills.
They're Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium melodiae and Plasmodium ovale.
I'm talking about Plasmodium, which causes malaria.
The Plasmodium parasite is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Researchers are studying the life cycle of Plasmodium to develop better malaria treatments.

Synonyms

malaria parasite

vsplasmodium

Specialized

1 4.1

A very small single cell that lives in human blood, spreads by mosquito bites and causes malaria

is the scientific genus name used in biology rather than a general disease label

Compounds

Plasmodium falciparum

Specialized

1 8.4

A parasite made of one cell that causes the most severe kind of malaria in humans

Plasmodium vivax

Specialized

9.6

A one-celled parasite that causes a form of malaria in people with returning fevers

Surface Forms

plasmodium singular

plasmodia plural

Morphology

plasmodium = plasma (opaque) = plasm + ium

As a taxonomic name for the malaria parasite, the meaning 'parasite' is specialized and not derivable by an average learner from 'plasma' + '-ium'.

Etymology

Plasmodium comes from the Greek root plasma meaning 'something formed', the same root in plastic which means 'able to be shaped'. Scientists used this name because, under the microscope, each tiny parasite looks like a small formed body in the blood, so plasmodium now names the parasite that causes malaria.