What is "coccidium"

coccidium \coccidium\ n.; pl. coccidia. (Microbiol.) any sporozoan of the order Coccidia, parasitic on the digestive epithelium of vertebrates and higher invertebrates. It is the causative agent of coccidiosis, which can be a problem in poultry rearing.

n. parasitic on the digestive epithelium of vertebrates and higher invertebrates [syn: eimeria]