plural nouncoccidium/-ˈsidēəm/

• Parasitic protozoa of a group that includes those that cause diseases such as coccidiosis and toxoplasmosis.

  Suborder Eimeriorina (formerly order or subclass Coccidia), phylum Sporozoa

  ‘I tested these hypotheses experimentally in a host-parasite system involving wild turkeys and their intestinal protozoal parasites, the eimerian coccidia.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘We used fecal egg counts to measure intensity of infection by T. tenuis worms and coccidia.’
  • ‘We added the chemical to the drinking water during the pretreatment period to prevent the spread of coccidia, a common endoparasite of house finches.’
  • ‘Drug-resistant coccidia parasites are on the rise, reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics.’
  • ‘We tested whether male finches with experimentally elevated testosterone would be more likely to harbor coccidia, protozoan parasites that may cause coccidiosis.’