Merozoite

A merozoite is a daughter cell of sporozoite replication in a host-cell nucleus as part of an ampicomplexa's infectious life-cycle. It has the capability of infecting other cells and proliferating irrespective of its immobility. Over multiple cycles of replications, some merozoites differentiate into male and female gametocytes which are transferred to an uninfected vector typically through the consumption of the host's bodily substances such as blood or faecal matter^[1].

Common apicomplexan organisms include the Plasmodium species and Toxoplasma.

References 1) Lodish H, Berk A, Kaiser C, Krieger M, Bretscher A, Ploegh H et al. Molecular Cell Biology. 8th ed. New York: W.H.Freeman Macmillan; 2016.