Psorosperm
Psorosperm is a former name of a number of parasitic protozoa that produce cystlike or sporelike structures in the tissue of hosts. The term is now essentially obsolete.
- Some that affect vertebrate hosts are now called coccidia.
- Others, such as the cause of pébrine in silkworms, are now recognized as microsporidians, and some are myxosporidians.
- The genus Psorospermium itself is a parasite of crayfishes, and belongs to an enigmatic group of unicellular organisms that some biologists think may be related to the common ancestors of animals and fungi.
A psorosperm was at one point believed to be the cause of Darier's disease.
"Psorospermiasis" is classified under 136.4 in ICD-9.