Definition of "cryptosporidium" [cryptosporidium]

• A protozoan of the genus Cryptosporidium that is an intestinal parasite in humans and other vertebrates and sometimes causes diarrhea that is especially severe in immunocompromised individuals. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "So is an intestinal parasite called cryptosporidium, which can be fatal in some cases."
• "BEACH: This is a parasite called cryptosporidium and it causes diarrhea."
• "HARNESS: Jacob is one of just 1,738 people who have now fallen ill from a parasite called cryptosporidium, found in human and animal feces."