babesia

noun

ba·​be·​sia bə-ˈbē-zh(ē-)ə How to pronounce babesia (audio)
plural babesias or babesiae bə-ˈbē-zhē-ˌē How to pronounce babesia (audio)
: any of a genus (Babesia) of sporozoans parasitic in mammalian red blood cells (as in Texas fever) and transmitted by the bite of a tick

called also piroplasm

Examples of babesia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And while babesia has never been reported in Colorado and only once in the past five years in Montana, it had certainly been seen in other states across the U.S. Babesia microti is a parasite that, like malaria, invades red blood cells to reproduce. New York Times, 14 Oct. 2021 There were two possibilities: babesia — a tick-borne parasite seen mainly in the Northeast and upper Midwest in the United States — or malaria, a mosquito-borne infection that is common in much of the world but not here in this country. New York Times, 14 Oct. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'babesia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Victor Babeş †1926 Romanian bacteriologist

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of babesia was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near babesia

Cite this Entry

“Babesia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/babesia. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

babesia

noun
ba·​be·​sia bə-ˈbē-zh(ē-)ə How to pronounce babesia (audio)
1
capitalized : the type genus of the family Babesiidae
2
plural babesias or babesiae -zhē-ˌē How to pronounce babesia (audio) : any of the sporozoans of the genus Babesia or sometimes the family Babesiidae that are parasitic in mammalian red blood cells (as in Texas fever) and are transmitted by the bite of a tick

called also piroplasm

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