Babesia
/bəˈbiːzɪə/ /bəˈbiːʒə/Microbiology
noun
A genus of protozoans of the group Apicomplexa, the members of which are parasites of invertebrates and vertebrates causing babesiosis in domestic and wild mammals (and occasionally in humans); (also babesia) a protozoan of this genus.
Origin
Early 20th century; earliest use found in American Naturalist. From scientific Latin Babesia from the name of Victor Babeş, Romanian microbiologist, who first described the organisms in 1888 + -ia.