microsporidian

9.9

A very small parasite that lives in and kills host animal cells, often in insects and fish

noun
/ˌmaɪkrəˈspɔːrɪdiən/

Specialized

: microsporidio

The microsporidian infects the intestinal cells of its host, often causing disease in fish populations.

Examples

Researchers are developing new treatments to target microsporidian infections in commercially important shrimp species.
Some microsporidians have complex life cycles involving several developmental stages within their arthropod hosts.
The microsporidian is a type of parasite.
Many fish species are affected by microsporidians.
Researchers are developing new treatments to target microsporidian infections in commercially important shrimp species.
The microsporidian infects the intestinal cells of its host, often causing disease in fish populations.
Some microsporidians have complex life cycles involving several developmental stages within their arthropod hosts.

Synonyms

microsporidium

vsmicrosporidian

Specialized

1 9.9

A tiny parasite that infects insects and other animals

focuses on spore formation and killing host cells often in arthropods and fishes

Surface Forms

microsporidian singular

microsporidians plural

Morphology

microsporidian = microspore (semi-transparent) = micro + spore + ian

The form is built by standard suffixation from microspore, but the resulting biological taxon name is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Microsporidian comes from the parts micro- meaning 'small' and spore meaning 'seed', the same 'spore' you see in mushrooms. So a microsporidian is a very small parasite that makes spores and lives inside the cells of its host, often harming them.