Hepatozoon


Hepatozoon

(hep'ă-tō-zō'on), A genus of coccidian parasites (family Haemogregarinidae), in which schizogony occurs in the visceral organs, gametogony in the leukocytes or erythrocytes of vertebrate animals, and sporogony in certain ticks and other blood-sucking invertebrates. Hepatozoon canis occurs in dogs, cats, jackals, and hyenas, but is most pathogenic in dogs, in which it may cause serious disease and death; other species affected include rats, mice, rabbits, and squirrels. [hepato- + G. zōon, animal]