The process or state of losing flagella or becoming devoid of whip-like appendages, especially in parasitic organisms like malaria-causing protozoans.
From 'exflagellate' + the suffix '-ation'. A technical term in parasitology and microbiology describing a cellular transformation.
Malaria parasites undergo exflagellation when they're inside a mosquito—they suddenly sprout flagella and swim around, which is how they prepare to infect the next human host; it's one of nature's wildest metamorphoses.
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