sporozoite

biology

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July 14, 2026

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A sporozoite is a motile, infective stage of certain protozoans, specifically apicomplexans. These organisms, like the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria, have complex life cycles involving both asexual and sexual reproduction.123

The sporozoite is a product of sporogony, a process of multiple divisions that occurs after sexual reproduction within a vector, such as a mosquito. Once injected into a new host, the sporozoite initiates an asexual cycle by entering host cells and dividing into numerous individuals called merozoites. This cycle of asexual reproduction and cell invasion is central to the parasite's ability to infect and spread within a host.23

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- malaria
  The course of the disease
  …forms of the parasite, called sporozoites, into the person’s bloodstream. The sporozoites are carried by the blood to the liver, where they mature into forms known as schizonts. Over the next one to two weeks each schizont multiplies into thousands of other forms known as merozoites. The merozoites break out…
  Read More
  …forms of the parasite, called sporozoites, into the person’s bloodstream. The sporozoites are carried by the blood to the liver, where they mature into forms known as schizonts. Over the next one to two weeks each schizont multiplies into thousands of other forms known as merozoites. The merozoites break out…
  Read More