Main Entry: Ba·bes–Ernst granule

Pronunciation: \ˈbäb-ˌesh-ˈərn(t)st-\

Function: noun

: a metachromatic granule in protoplasm—called also Babes-Ernst body

Babès, Victor (1854–1926), Romanian bacteriologist. In 1888 Babès made two important discoveries. With the German pathologist Paul Ernst he discovered and described the metachromatic granules seen in the protoplasm of bacteria. These granules stain deeply with aniline dyes and are now known as Babes-Ernst granules or bodies. He also discovered a group of small protozoan parasites that invade the blood of various animals and are now placed in the genus Babesia, named after him.

Ernst \ˈernst\ Paul (1859–1937), German pathologist. Director of the pathological institute at Heidelberg, Ernst specialized in the pathology of cells and the nervous system. In 1889 in an article he again described the Babes-Ernst granules.