Coccidia n 1: an order in the subclass Telosporidia [syn: {Coccidia}, {order Coccidia}]
coccidium \coccidium\ n.; pl. {coccidia}. (Microbiol.) any sporozoan of the order {Coccidia}, parasitic on the digestive epithelium of vertebrates and higher invertebrates. It is the causative agent of coccidiosis, which can be a problem in poultry rearing. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]