Hematozoa

/ˌhɛmətəˈzoʊə/ noun

Definition

Plural of hematozoon; parasitic animals or organisms that live in the blood of animals or humans.

Etymology

From Greek haima (blood) + zoa (plural of zoon, animal). This zoological term was coined in the 19th century as microscopes allowed scientists to discover parasites living inside blood.

Kelly Says

Malaria parasites are a famous type of hematozoa—they live inside your blood cells and cause millions of infections every year. Discovering that mosquitoes spread these tiny blood parasites was one of the biggest breakthroughs in understanding disease!

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