oocyst

English

Life cycle of the parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii which causes toxoplasmosis.

Etymology

From oo- +‎ cyst.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈəʊəsɪst/

Noun

oocyst (plural oocysts)

1. (mycology, archaic) A reproductive cell in certain fungi. [from 19th c.]
2. (biology) A thick-walled spore in the lifecycle of some parasitic protozoans that develops into sporozoite. [from 20th c.]
   • 1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society 2016, page 453:

     Ross had found in the stomach wall of an Anopheles mosquito the oocysts (eggs) which are the intermediate stage of the Plasmodium life cycle.

Translations

spore

• Finnish: ookysta
• French: oocyste (fr) m

Anagrams

• scooty