trypanosoma

noun

try·​pano·​so·​ma tri-ˌpan-ə-ˈsō-mə How to pronounce trypanosoma (audio)
1
capitalized : the type genus of the family Trypanosomatidae comprising kinetoplastid flagellates that as adults are elongated and somewhat spindle-shaped, have a posteriorly arising flagellum which passes forward at the margin of an undulating membrane and emerges near the anterior end of the body as a short free flagellum, and are parasitic in the blood or rarely the tissues of vertebrates, that following development in the digestive tract of a blood-sucking invertebrate and usually an insect pass ultimately to the mouthparts or salivary structures where they may be transmitted into a new vertebrate host bitten by the invertebrate host, and that are responsible for various serious diseases (as Chagas disease, dourine, nagana, sleeping sickness, and surra) of humans and domestic animals
2
plural trypanosomas or trypanosomata -mət-ə How to pronounce trypanosoma (audio) : trypanosome

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Cite this Entry

“Trypanosoma.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/trypanosoma. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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