Cytomeres are structures that are formed when the contents of a single large
schizont are separated into multiple daughter cells, in the course of
schizogony
Fission, in biology, is the division of a single entity into two or more parts and the regeneration of those parts to separate entities resembling the original. The object experiencing fission is usually a cell, but the term may also refer to how ...
.
Cytomeres are caused by complex
invaginations of the surface of the schizont. They complete the budding process in the formation of large numbers of
merozoite
Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism is ...
s and are found in some species of
sporozoan
The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia) are a large phylum of parasitic alveolates. Most of them possess a unique form of organelle that comprises a type of non-photosynthetic plastid called an apicoplast, and an apical complex structure. The ...
s—including those of the genus ''
Leucocytozoon
''Leucocytozoon '' (or ''Leukocytozoon'') is a genus of parasitic alveolates belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa (which also includes the malaria parasites).
The species of this genus use either blackflies ('' Simulium'' species) or a biting mi ...
''—undergoing
exoerythrocytic asexual division.
References
Apicomplexa
{{Apicomplexa-stub