Motile banana-shaped stage within sporocysts of Coccidia. Their fine structure is practically identical to that of merozoites. In addition to the organelles of merozoites they possess 1 or 2 (depending on the species) large reserve granules (= refractile bodies, crystalloid bodies). Having reached a new host the sporozoites enter host cells and start reproduction by schizogony.
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© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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(2016). Sporozoite. In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_2966
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_2966
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