plasmodium

/plæzˈmoʊdiəm/
noun
  1. A type of parasite that causes malaria in humans and animals, transmitted by mosquito bites.
    • Scientists are studying how the plasmodium reproduces inside the human liver.
    • Malaria is caused by several species of plasmodium found in tropical regions.
    • The doctor explained that a plasmodium enters the bloodstream through a mosquito bite.
  2. A single cell with many nuclei, formed by the fusion of many smaller cells, found in some slime molds.
    • Under the microscope, the plasmodium of the slime mold looked like a yellow, moving web.
    • In biology class, we watched a time-lapse video of a plasmodium spreading across a petri dish.
    • The plasmodium crawls along the forest floor, feeding on bacteria and fungi.